Before Serrano
"Hero Worship" -
A Series of Paintings celebrating heroes and celebrities by California
artist Max Emadi
This painting represents Christ on the cross
engulfed in an inferno, perhaps at the ninth hour when Matthew records the
moment when Christ fears he has been abandoned by God. Emadi's title
for the work, "Before Serrano", is a reference to controversial photographer
Andres
Serrano who became notorious for his 1987 exhibition of his
controversial piece "Piss Christ",
a red-tinged photograph of a crucifix submerged in the artist's own urine.
One wonders exactly why Emadi titles this work "Before Serrano". There
are definite similarities between Serrano's and Emadi's work which both have
Christ enveloped in a swirl of red, so we would understand had he entitled
the work "After Serrano". By the use of "Before", we wonder at Emadi's
message. He is obviously not indicating that his work predates that of
Serrano's "Piss Christ" since Emadi's painting is dated 2004. Perhaps
he is drawing a comparison to the division of the Christian calendar into
"Before Christ" and "After Christ" in that this signifies the end of one era
and the beginning of another. Perhaps Emadi is suggesting by the title
that Serrano cleaved the history of religious art when he unveiled his image
of Christ in urine.
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a
loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me?" - Matthew 27:46, King James
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