For The Continuing Presence of the Past: Serrano’s Madonna and Child II: One of the ironies of Serrano’s work is that it was so vehemently attacked by many in the Christian community. In what ways did these critics thus become iconoclasts?

What will be an ideal response?


Despite its striking and serene beauty, the image Madonna and Child II was widely denounced by Christian leaders. Serrano himself believed the glow of the image gave the sculpture a more spiritual essence. In this way, Serrano’s critics could be viewed as iconoclasts. The outrage, however, was more directly related to the source of the amber glow, the urine into which Serrano had submerged the sculpture. Therefore, it might be more apt to describe his critics as upholders of the iconographic and material cultures of Christianity and Serrano the iconoclast as his work openly contested the material nature of the tradition in hopes of returning the spiritual essence to Mary and the child Jesus.

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