The Art worlds resistance to the religious could make religious art popular again

NOUSE
By Stefan Kielbasiewicz

Image: Michael Foley. mark wallinger, Therevsteve, nagarjun, africanah.org, walter arts museum

Articles from the BBC and the Huffington Post by art critics and academics alike point out how “religion is alive and well in contemporary art”, citing examples of commercially successful religious artists and artworks such as Mark Wallinger’s "Ecce Homo." So what could account for this seemingly sudden change in today’s artistic climate? However, information from popular Western media on how modern art specifically engages with these religions is minimal. Though it’s precisely the absence of this discussion that is changing Western art’s relationship to Christianity. From my perspective, the growing positive influence of religion on art can be explained by a growing multi-religious tolerance. [link]