Unintentionally hilarious religious art

[Peas n carrots]

I know someone (Karen de la Carriere, a former Scientologist, has appeared on TV shows speaking about how awful Scn was in that they wouldn't even let her look at her son when he died) who has made bank selling Thomas Kinkade pictures. I believe she's the largest seller of his works. She found her niche and she has worked it assiduously. I would never tell her I find his work banal.

That is perhaps one of the more surprising things I've learned lately lol. Certainly not my taste, but good for her to find her niche and being successful at it.

Does Karen still live in Clearwater? Btw I'm a big fan of her husband's Surviving $cientology podcast.

[mirele]

3 hours ago, Peas n carrots said:

 

That is perhaps one of the more surprising things I've learned lately lol. Certainly not my taste, but good for her to find her niche and being successful at it.

Does Karen still live in Clearwater? Btw I'm a big fan of her husband's Surviving $cientology podcast.

 

She lives in Los Angeles and has for quite a while. I'm glad she's successful, Scientology has really put her through the wringer.

[Four is Enough]

16 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

 

Peter and Paul seem to have a cosy little bromance but what's with the foreheads and necks? 

 

Medieval copyright law was clearly not in effect... 2, 3, and 4.. Look at the faces. Clearly someone was copying from someone else!!

"Maybe if I change a little robe color, nobody will notice I just lifted the faces..."

[Grimalkin]

@AmazonGrace wow I have never seen those icons! Lol.

[LadyCrow1313]

On ‎1‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 8:56 PM, Peas n carrots said:

So there is a face in the gremlin's butt? That is some active imagination...

 

Gives new meaning to the phrase "(he/she is) talking out of their ass", doesn't it?

And to be silly & juvenile, flatus can sometimes sound like someone's voice; either that or a boat horn, really.   

[Peas n carrots]

She lives in Los Angeles and has for quite a while. I'm glad she's successful, Scientology has really put her through the wringer.

You are right, I think I've heard Jeffrey mention on the podcast before. And it's unbelievable what she has been through - she is quite the remarkable woman to come out and be where she is today. Her story is one of the most appalling of some pretty damn appalling stories to come out of $cn. Her story brought tears to my eyes on the Leah Remini show.

[katilac]

I read that the butt face comes from the idea that witches would kiss the devil's anus as a sign of allegiance. I don't know if some witch got defensive and said, well, yeah, I kiss his butt, but it has a face, no big deal!  

Personally, I think the rumor started when someone spied on a couple and witnessed a rim job, and couldn't wrap their mind around it. Butt kissing is the devil's work, y'all! 

[Morrighan]

While I wouldn't consider his work to be unintentionally hilariuos, I think the work of Hieronymus Bosch deserves a mention. Some of his religious works are waaaaayy out there and utterly surreal

Have a google of "Garden of Earthly Delights" (Pics 1 & 2 below) and "Christ's Descent into Hell" (Pic 3) to appreciate the delighfully weird , and somewhat unsettling details he inserted into his paintings. 

[AmazonGrace]

On 14.1.2017 at 5:30 PM, Four is Enough said:

Medieval copyright law was clearly not in effect... 2, 3, and 4.. Look at the faces. Clearly someone was copying from someone else!!

"Maybe if I change a little robe color, nobody will notice I just lifted the faces..."

Yeah I think that copying was the rule more than the exception back then.  I don't think they viewed the icons the way we view unique artwork nowadays.  They still don't. We visited a Greek Orthodox icon painter in Greece once and there were lots and lots of similar, or almost similar, icons... I don't mean just print copies, but handpainted icons that were virtually identical to lots of other handpainted icons, perhaps changing a background color here and adding a little more gold there. The  woman giving the tour explained about the rules and how you're supposed to paint Virgin Mary, and what certain saints are supposed to look like, and how the icon painters wouldn't even sign their work because it was not about the painter but the topic bringing glory to God... Everyone's mouth was supposed to be tiny because they listen to God more than they speak, and other symbolism that the painter was supposed to follow, and people learned the craft from copying  older painters and in the end everything just ends up looking the same which was good because that way people knew what it meant.

[mirele]

On 1/8/2017 at 9:51 AM, paganbaby said:

These are all just amazing. My tiny contribution is "Forgiven" by Thomas Blackshear. This picture is notable for being one of Ted Haggard's favorites. It hung in his church prior to his fall from grace. I don't know how anyone could have possibly guessed he was gay. There is no homoerotic subtext at all here.

 

Confession time:  I have a signed, framed giclee of this painting. It's currently face-down on a shelf in my closet.

In my defense, I got it 18 years ago when I was recovering from a nervous breakdown and it spoke to me in my situation at the time. Now I'm really mortified, because I've changed the way I view Jesus' crucifixion and it doesn't speak to me at all.

I don't know what to do with this thing, I wish I had the $200 I paid for it to buy good books or something.

[THERetroGamerNY]

8 hours ago, Morrighan said:

While I wouldn't consider his work to be unintentionally hilariuos, I think the work of Hieronymus Bosch deserves a mention. Some of his religious works are waaaaayy out there and utterly surreal

Have a google of "Garden of Earthly Delights" (Pics 1 & 2 below) and "Christ's Descent into Hell" (Pic 3) to appreciate the delighfully weird , and somewhat unsettling details he inserted into his paintings. 

He is my all-time favorite artist. I've done a whole essay on the meaning of Garden of Earthly Delights, and analyzed his stuff. Not kidding. lol There's actually a whole story woven and hidden in the Garden scenes.

Studio Smack recently did a modern re-imagining of the central Garden panel, and turned it into an animated piece of digital art that was on display in 2016 - was fantastic. Can view it here: 

 

[ChunkyBarbie]

38 minutes ago, mirele said:

Confession time:  I have a signed, framed giclee of this painting. It's currently face-down on a shelf in my closet.

In my defense, I got it 18 years ago when I was recovering from a nervous breakdown and it spoke to me in my situation at the time. Now I'm really mortified, because I've changed the way I view Jesus' crucifixion and it doesn't speak to me at all.

I don't know what to do with this thing, I wish I had the $200 I paid for it to buy good books or something.

If it was what you needed at the time, there is no shame in that. 

[laPapessaGiovanna]

On 13/1/2017 at 11:47 PM, AmazonGrace said:

 

Peter and Paul seem to have a cosy little bromance but what's with the foreheads and necks? 

 

 

On 14/1/2017 at 4:30 PM, Four is Enough said:

Medieval copyright law was clearly not in effect... 2, 3, and 4.. Look at the faces. Clearly someone was copying from someone else!!

"Maybe if I change a little robe color, nobody will notice I just lifted the faces..."

I don't think that "medieval" is a fitting term in this case.  By the look of them the second and the third are very recent, like no more than years or decades old, the bottom one is too out of focus to say but it's written in English so not medieval either. The top one is the older looking one (I am not particularly expert but I like icons and I took some courses on icons reading many years ago) but not medieval old. As for them looking very similar well every icon is an unique masterpiece but the mere "form" is not what makes it unique, not only at least. An icon isn't only an image portraying something, it's a prayer, a theological interpretation of a scripture, an iconographic reflection on theological concepts, a statement of faith, contemplation. Every step of the preparation of the icon from the crafting of colours (a feat in itself, you can't use whatever colour to paint an icon) to the last golden layer is accompanied by prayers and is in itself a prayer. Every trait has a meaning, nothing is for chance, if a vest has three folds there's a reason for it, there's a profound symbology behind every icon. One doesn't become an iconographer just because is a good painter,  it takes an years long spiritual and theological journey and apprenticeship. Meanwhile the iconographer copies other icons to learn and study and pray. Once he/she has accomplished this then can draw icons without copying, as a prayer and a theological contemplation and reasoning. He/she never signs because it would be senseless. As for the great diffusion of some icons copied hundreds or even thousands of times it's a bit like a prayerbook, a theological thought by a great theologian that many want to study and learn and pray reading it. With these premises you can understand how the features of subjects looking somewhat real-like isn't a concern at all, their look needs to be hieratic and the features too have a meaning. An icon is a sacred image not just because it portrays a religious subject, there's so much more.

[Morrighan]

11 hours ago, THERetroGamerNY said:

He is my all-time favorite artist. I've done a whole essay on the meaning of Garden of Earthly Delights, and analyzed his stuff. Not kidding. lol There's actually a whole story woven and hidden in the Garden scenes.

Studio Smack recently did a modern re-imagining of the central Garden panel, and turned it into an animated piece of digital art that was on display in 2016 - was fantastic. Can view it here: 

 

He's probably one of my favourites too. I've become fascinated by surrealism lately and I just get lost in his paintings. That video is pretty awesome  

 

Here's another artist that I have come across during my internet travels over the years. Jon McNaughton specialised in Religious/Partiotic pieces. Is that meant to be Joanna Lumley in the bottom right corner? 

[Howl]

I'm not sure Ben Franklin would appreciate being in that painting in the context that he's presented. He was an atheist, or close to it, right?  I guess everybody in the lower right corner is a reprobate. 

The judge holding his head is coming to some kind of awareness. 

[FloraKitty35]

1 hour ago, Morrighan said:

He's probably one of my favourites too. I've become fascinated by surrealism lately and I just get lost in his paintings. That video is pretty awesome  

 

Here's another artist that I have come across during my internet travels over the years. Jon McNaughton specialised in Religious/Partiotic pieces. Is that meant to be Joanna Lumley in the bottom right corner? 

I did count 5 African Americans in the back ground of the "masterpiece".  Nice to see David Crockett next to Frederick Douglass. 

[applejack]

On 1/9/2017 at 4:21 PM, formergothardite said:

Heaven is for white people. 

This song started going through my head when I saw this and I can't stop giggling now.

Everywhere, it's been the same
(Feeling)
Like I'm outside in the rain
(Wheeling)
Free to try and find a game
(Dealing)
Cards for sorrow
Cards for pain
'Cause I've seen blue skies
Through the tears in my eyes
And I realize I'm going home
-- "I'm Going Home" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show

 

[Black Aliss]

13 hours ago, mirele said:

Confession time:  I have a signed, framed giclee of this painting. It's currently face-down on a shelf in my closet.

In my defense, I got it 18 years ago when I was recovering from a nervous breakdown and it spoke to me in my situation at the time. Now I'm really mortified, because I've changed the way I view Jesus' crucifixion and it doesn't speak to me at all.

I don't know what to do with this thing, I wish I had the $200 I paid for it to buy good books or something.

You could try selling it. It might even have increased in value.

[Cleopatra7]

2 hours ago, Morrighan said:

He's probably one of my favourites too. I've become fascinated by surrealism lately and I just get lost in his paintings. That video is pretty awesome  

 

Here's another artist that I have come across during my internet travels over the years. Jon McNaughton specialised in Religious/Partiotic pieces. Is that meant to be Joanna Lumley in the bottom right corner? 

Who's the woman in the spacesuit supposed to be? She looks sort of like Christa McAuliffe, but NASA didn't use the orange flight suits back in 1986 (yes, I'm a space nerd and a church nerd). It looks like there is a soldier present to represent every major conflict the US was in, and the better known presidents are there too. I wish I could see what's on the cover of the book/magazines that the random black guy in the front is holding.

[laPapessaGiovanna]

6 minutes ago, Cleopatra7 said:

Who's the woman in the spacesuit supposed to be? She looks sort of like Christa McAuliffe, but NASA didn't use the orange flight suits back in 1986 (yes, I'm a space nerd and a church nerd). It looks like there is a soldier present to represent every major conflict the US was in, and the better known presidents are there too. I wish I could see what's on the cover of the book/magazines that the random black guy in the front is holding.

It's "the five thousand year leap".

[TeddyBonkers]

@Cleopatra7, it's "The Five Thousand Year Leap", which according to Mr. Google, indicates that America is awesome because Jesus.

ETA: JINX!

[Morrighan]

25 minutes ago, Cleopatra7 said:

Who's the woman in the spacesuit supposed to be? She looks sort of like Christa McAuliffe, but NASA didn't use the orange flight suits back in 1986 (yes, I'm a space nerd and a church nerd). It looks like there is a soldier present to represent every major conflict the US was in, and the better known presidents are there too. I wish I could see what's on the cover of the book/magazines that the random black guy in the front is holding.

I have no idea who the majority of the people are (or represent)...I'm not very good on US history!

I zoomed in on the pic and the black guy has a book called "The Five Thousand Year Leap" According to Wikipedia...
 

Quote

The book asserts that the United States prospered because it was established upon universal natural law principles passed down from Common Law and traditional Judeo-Christian morality, as many of the Founding Fathers were guided by the Bible among others, and consequently that the U.S. Constitution incorporates enlightened ideas.[1][2]

There's a guy in the group of bad people on the right hand side holding Darwin's "Origin of Species". 

[Cleopatra7]

I looked up Jon McNaughton, and he's a Mormon, which would explain why his paintings portray the Founding Fathers and the Constitution as being directly inspired by Jesus. Honestly, I think a lot of right-wingers have this view, whether they're Mormon or not. I have to wonder where someone like Frederick Douglass fits into McNaughton's view of history, since he had some very harsh things to say about American hypocrisy on racism, none of which would fit into the latter's opinion that the US is a divinely chosen country. And of course, the LDS church doesn't have the best record when it comes to the treatment of non-whites, either on an institutional or theological level.

[formergothardite]

http://awfullibrarybooks.net/oozing-from-every-pore/

[laPapessaGiovanna]

15 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

http://awfullibrarybooks.net/oozing-from-every-pore/

This is embarrassing. Really.