When is the Swastika a Holy symbol vs. a Sign of Evil?
ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest Britton
Sometimes you come across a work of art that stays on your mind because you simply cannot figure it out, and you want to figure it out. Such is the case with a painting (above), that I stumbled upon in a warehouse in Indianapolis. It's unsigned, and no one has yet been able to identity the painter but I am thinking of buying it as a teaching tool because of its intriguing use of religious symbols: Christian, Buddhist, and Hinduism's holy swastika.
Swastika? Yes, most Christians think of the 4-sided swastika as the sign of evil Nazism, but some argue that the clockwise versus counter wise motion reveals a difference. I can't find conclusive evidence to support either point of view but the right-facing swastika does appear to be a core symbol of Neo-Nazi groups. However, Hindu's use it facing both right and left for holy balance, and did so long before there were Nazis. It is also the only holy symbol for the Jain religion, and while Buddhists use it facing left, most of us can't see the difference.
I am grateful to my twitter pal, @MsSymbols for sending me to a swastika website that gives a history which includes its use by Hopi Indians in America. The question for me is, should I buy it? It's a huge colorful work of collage that while not exceptional in execution isn't horrible, and for only $60 it has certainly provoked a lot of discussion already.
By Ernest Britton
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| Detail of untitled work in Indianapolis with swastika, cross, ankh in a collage |
Swastika? Yes, most Christians think of the 4-sided swastika as the sign of evil Nazism, but some argue that the clockwise versus counter wise motion reveals a difference. I can't find conclusive evidence to support either point of view but the right-facing swastika does appear to be a core symbol of Neo-Nazi groups. However, Hindu's use it facing both right and left for holy balance, and did so long before there were Nazis. It is also the only holy symbol for the Jain religion, and while Buddhists use it facing left, most of us can't see the difference.
I am grateful to my twitter pal, @MsSymbols for sending me to a swastika website that gives a history which includes its use by Hopi Indians in America. The question for me is, should I buy it? It's a huge colorful work of collage that while not exceptional in execution isn't horrible, and for only $60 it has certainly provoked a lot of discussion already.
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