RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest and Gregory Disney-Britton
Self Portrait (1985). Guggenheim Collection
We are conditioned to see the non-traditional messenger as evil. In doing so, are we also missing God's true messengers sent as watchmen: "For thus the Lord says to me, 'Go, station the lookout, let him report what he sees" (Isaiah 21:1-16). This week, deceased photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989) made headlines as the subject of a new HBO documentary that coincides with exhibitions in Los Angeles. Raised in a strict family, Mapplethorpe was influenced by the rigid conditioning of his church, and he responded with a 1985 self-portrait (above) where he pictures himself with horns to signal the battle between God and evil. Every generation has its messengers. Question for today: Are we listening to the non-traditional watchmen of today?

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