RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS 
By TAHLIB

Buddha, Moses, Mohammad, Guru Nanak, and Jesus were all religious radicals, and their ideas were blasphemous to the conformists of their day. When was the last time your faith was tested by radical ideas? Naftali Brawer cites philosopher William James in arguing that there is an unhealthy obsession with conformity; and not nearly enough attention to developing a heightened sensitivity to God today. Like Doubting Thomas, we fear art & ideas that make us feel uncomfortable. Contemporary artists like Michael Landy challenge that sheep like nature, and that's why his exhibit "Saints Alive" (above), is the A&O NEWS OF WEEK.

In other religious art news from across the USA, and around the world:

• Buddhism in Art: Wesak Day honored Lord Buddha's 2,557th birthday. [More News]
• Christianity in Art: The Saint John's Bible on view at NYC's Morgan Library. [More News]
• Hinduism in Art: Yoga comes to the Indianapolis Museum of Art this summer. [More News]
• Islam in Art: Lisa Ross captures the mazar, holy shrines of western China. [More News]
• Judaism in Art: Roy Lichtenstein's grand "brushstrokes" likened to religious genius. [More News]

Are your radical friends on the list yet? Invite them today! At A&O, we are believers, but also skeptics too united in the search for human understanding through Religious Art. Some join by making an annual commitment to become a member of the A&O Society; others join as donors supporting the A&O Youth Scholarship Prize; and others as member-subscribers of this RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK. Take the challenge. Invite a friend to join the journey. It's for Believers, and Skeptics too.