Art History Article Review Examples

- What is the Catholic imagination, as Heartney describes it?
Heartney describes the Catholic imagination as a form of creative that is essentially that instead of thinking against the body, it thinks through it. The catholic imagination tries to show that while Catholicism presents a mixed view on the role that the body plays in sin and redemption, those positive undertones of the female body that were first expressed during the times of medieval theology reverberate very powerfully with characteristics of contemporary feminism.
- In what contradictory ways is Mary characterized in the Catholic Church, according to Heartney?
According to Heartney, the Catholic Church contradicts the figure of Mary in different ways. She says that contradictory connotations of submission, strength, virginity and motherhood are but some of the ways.
- In what ways does Renee Cox rework Catholic imagery? What motivates her to make the kinds of works she does?
Renee Cox has reworked the Catholic imagery in a number of ways. Firstly, in her five-panel photographic depiction of da Vinci’s Last Supper, only she dabs hers ‘Yo Mama’s Last Supper”. Renee Cox also created a photograph of black male hanging from a cross. This mimics the imagery of crucifixion and the sculpture of crucifixion hang in many catholic churches. She also reworked the imagery of Pieta where she featured herself as a partially dressed Virgin Mary holding a naked black man. She stands stark naked while holding her son as a way of denying the Virgins and therefore, motherhood’s sexual side. She is motivated by her belief in female power and eroticism. As a feminist, she meant to challenge the depiction of both people of color and women in writing by both the power structure and visual representations of the Catholic Church.
- In what ways does Janine Antoni rework Catholic imagery? What motivates her to make the kinds of works she does?
In her reworked version of Annunciation, she draws her mother who is illuminated by an unearthly light while she is seated. In the picture, her mother is pregnant with her (Antoni). This piece of art mimics the annunciation story. Another reworking of the Catholic imagery shows in her version of the Pieta. Originally, the Pieta shows the Virgin Mary cradling the body of her son after crucifixion. In her reworked version, Jenani poses as the Virgin Mary with long hair falling over a face that is nearly lost in the shadows. The light in the picture illuminates the part where she is holding her own bare leg. She is motivated by the need to comprehend the body from inside. She is preoccupied with the idea that the body is a knowledge source.
- How does Heartney summarize the role of the female body in Catholicism? Explain.
Heartney summarizes the role of the female body in Catholicism as more of a minefield than a battle field that is bound up in political and doctrinal struggles over abortion, contraception, nature and origin of sin and virginity. Although there is much antagonism about the female body, as a minefield, the female body offers a remarkable inspiration. It offers an alternative to views of stark rationalists on the separation of body and mind. The thought of female incarnation offers a platform for other types of knowledge that are less violent the sensual female body. It is also agreeable to both female Catholics and feminists that knowledge through the female body celebrates the sensual and sexual nature.