Diversity protected by generic art, not threatened

Just another point on what I wrote about modern religious devotional art and its flaws. I am ALL for inclusion. For example, I was thrilled at the Chinese depiction of the Stations of the Cross brochure performed by the Pope and assembly at this recent Good Friday. And there are wonderful "black Madonnas," some very ancient, in statuary or icon. But the faces and features are generic, not made to look like the bloke or average joe down the street. Successful devotional art is slightly under-realistic. It is supposed to be a bit bland and idealized because it is not supposed to equate saints with "hey, I'm one of them too" mentality. So the race and time of costume, yes, be inclusive, but keep the art slightly vague so that one reads the spirit of the saint into the viewing, and not thinking, "Wow, he looks like Tom Hanks." Chinese St. Joseph? You bet, no problem, but you should not be able to look at him and think, "Hey dude, cool, he looks like Jackie Chan." And a black Madonna ain't Oprah, that's for dog gone sure. Too much "realism" in an attempt to be "inclusive" turns it into a circus of exclusion. You start thinking about the saint's mug or puss (slang for face) and who they look like rather than thinking about "Hey, they belong to my race and they saw God." Look at our Lady of Guadeloupe. She left her actual image on Juan Diego's cloak. It's stylized and vague, while being brown and of the Indians. It's solidarity without being a celebrity parade.

This is one reason, by the way, that early icon writers depicted the infant Jesus as a miniature man. It was a matter of conveying the spirit, which is that even the infant Jesus was fully informed by God and therefore mature, rather than speculating if he had curly or straight hair as a babe. And "blonde blue eyed" Jesus was not "exclusionary." Those tried to depict the light of God in the goldness of the hair, the blueness of the eyes. Good devotional art points the viewer toward devotional thoughts, and not thoughts of assessing the validity, authenticity and inclusiveness of the fleshly form. *Sigh*

By the way, I noticed several years ago someone printed artwork in "America" magazine that was of the crucified Jesus with an ex-boyfriend of mine's face. I'm not stupid or blind and neither is God. Be afraid, and I'm not kidding.