Andres Serrano

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at some of the controversial works of Andres Serrano such as "Piss Christ"; "Pneumonia Due to Drowning" and "Grand Dragon of the Invisible Empire." The paper discusses how, when reviewing Serrano's works, it is important to look beyond the historical, monetary and political controversy for a moment and to evaluate his productions of art as works of art in and of themselves.

From the Paper:

"The photography and other works of the artist Andres Serrano have, in many ways, become synonymous with the 1980's and 1990's cultural wars, specifically with the fight of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) to secure continued funding and to secure its continued existence from the United States Congress. The images of Serrano such as his "Piss Christ" in which an image of Christ on a crucifix was submerged in urine was used as a kind of "look at what the NEA hath wrought" proof of the organization's funding. Of course, even the greatest work of art can be rendered in a verbally reductive sense, as in "Leonardo's "Mona Lisa" is just a picture of a woman with a funny smile, what's the big deal?" It is important, when reviewing Serrano's works, to look beyond the historical monetary and political controversy for a moment, and to evaluate his productions of art as works of art in and of themselves."

More papers on Andres Serrano:

• Descriptive Essay # 64078 : "Controversy in Artistic Expression"
• Essay # 86693 : "The Photography of Andre Kertesz"
• Comparison Essay # 5310 : "Dave and Andre Dubus"

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