'Sexualized' Jesus: controversy in Spain over poster of Christ for Seville Easter festivities
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A controversy has ensued in Spain and on social media over a poster of Jesus created to promote Easter week festivities in the city of Seville — drawing mixed reactions from Spanish conservatives deeming the image an "aberration" and a "sexualized and effeminate" Jesus as well as from social media users who either defended the painter's artistic vision or created memes poking fun at the image.
The Council of Brotherhoods, which organizes the main Easter week events in Seville, commissioned renowned artist Salustiano Garcia months ago to create a painting promoting the celebration.
Garcia unveiled the final product Saturday during an event attended by leadership of the Council of Brotherhoods in Seville as well as the city's mayor, Jose Luis Sanz.
The painter told local media at the time that his version of a resurrected Jesus painted against a flat red background was modeled after his son, Horacio. Garcia's work was met with high appraisals and applauses during the painting's unveiling.
In speaking with media following the event, Horacio said that he heard of people saying his father's portrayal of Jesus was "very attractive. ... Thank you very much. That's all I have to say."
But criticism erupted following the event.
Javier Navarro of the far-right Vox party in Spain said on the social media platform X that the poster "sought to provoke" and did not advance the mission of "encouraging faithful participation in Seville's Holy Week."
Pablo Hertfelder Garcia-Conde, president of the religious freedom organization IPSE, known for its ultraconservative Catholic views, said on X that "the poster is offensive" and an aberration and "does not correspond to what Holy Week in Seville symbolizes."
An organization of Christian lawyers launched a petition requesting the removal of the poster and the resignation of the Francisco Velez, the president of the Council of Brotherhoods.
The petition has garnered more than 21,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.
In response to the criticism, the painter told the Spanish newspaper ABC that his portrayal of Jesus was "gentle, elegant and beautiful" and created with "deep respect."
"To see sexuality in my image of Christ, you must be sick," he said, insisting there was "nothing" in his painting that "has not already been represented in artworks dating back hundreds of years."
One user on X responded to the backlash, saying, "Prepare for the homophobia that the Seville Holy Week poster is going to unleash."
Rafa Lopez, a well-known Spanish sociologist and political scientist, also responded to critics, saying on a news program, "Those who are scandalized by the Holy Week poster in Seville do so not because it is a tradition, but because they are deeply racist and homophobic."
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I think that statement sums it up quite nicely
oops, some artist made him the wrong color again...
I am offended.
White Jesus is offensive.
Jesus was a Middle Eastern man.
Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein is a Middle Eastern man with a Middle Eastern family. Take a look at some photos and tell us of what race they are.
Crusaders did a lot of fornicating during their occupation.
As did the Moors in Spain and Portugal. People seem to fornicate wherever they are.
I'm married and older now, I'll probably not have the opportunity to add Australia or Antarctica to my list.
And I'm pretty sure he didn't speak English or Spanish
Or French or Tsonga, perhaps he spoke Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
I find the painting confusing. It is supposed to be post=resurrection, so why would he appear that way?
The face of Jesus from the Shroud of Turin
Unfortunately in 2018 it was found that the Shroud of Turin was a fake.
Yes, I'm aware of that it was carbon dated to the 12th century. This is the latest on it that I'm aware of.
That's what I heard
An interesting item. If real, an incredible item to have after 2,000 years. If fake, an incredible forgery given the time it might have been done.
I always thought he looked like this
AI generated?
I still think the Shroud of Turin is a hoax
f'n hippie...
f’n Superstar
"Rafa Lopez, a well-known Spanish sociologist and political scientist, also responded to critics, saying on a news program, "Those who are scandalized by the Holy Week poster in Seville do so not because it is a tradition, but because they are deeply racist and homophobic.""
When you have nothing worthwhile to say just call people that don't agree with you deeply racist and homophobic.
"An organization of Christian lawyers launched a petition requesting the removal of the poster and the resignation of the Francisco Velez, the president of the Council of Brotherhoods. The petition has garnered more than 21,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon."
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Since no one took a picture of Jesus during his lifetime or created a lasting illustration of any kind. . .why bother with these UNREMARKABLE imaginings of the man? The problem for the image is it is communicating mixed symbolism. That is, the poster attempts to convey the spiritual with the fleshly. 'No one' is demanding that to be done.
First, Jesus is not portrayed in the scriptures as "PHAT" (Pretty Hot and Tempting). Second, "nakedness" really? Third, nipples? Whose are those borrowed from for the purposes of this poster? Lastly, this is par and parcel why the scriptures explicitly mentions not falling into the 'trap' of imagining things in Heaven, because we 'cave' into the fleshly as it is all we have to draw from about such "entities." That is, Jesus no more looks like the article's image than God looks like "An old man in the clouds."
If one is accepting of the concept of the biblical Jesus, here is what the Prophet Isaiah has to say about the appearance of the "Man to Come" (Jesus):
It begs the question over long periods of Jesus' absence when/that . . . poets, sculptors, and "designers" keep trying to 'beautify' or 'modernize' the features of Jesus.
They should just leave it alone, and avoid these 'gray areas' of imagining what obviously can not be validated. We should " regard " the spirit-presence of Jesus and not dwell in imagining his flesh!
Such beautiful blue eyes!
This 40 foot tall mural of Jesus at Biola University in Southern California has been the subject of quite a bit of controversy. Some students were offended because they thought he was "too white" and oppressive.
Oh, and the model for the mural is my brother. He's not a Christian. He was friends with the artist who asked him to let his hair and beard grow out longer than usual.