The Art Controversy of Mapplethorpe and Serrano Essay

The Art Controversy of Mapplethorpe and Serrano - Essay Example Mapplethorpe’s art is a rare combination of classic style and revolutionary theme. He deals with his carefully chosen theme of eroticism so as to aggravate the shock value. He exploits the different nuances of sexuality from the homoerotic to the phallic. His preferences with homoeroticism come naturally from his homosexual orientation. And to some extent it would not be wrong to say that his work of art portrays his own reflections and conceptualization of the erotic from a homosexual point of view. But to restrain his content to sexuality would be grossly unfair because in his later years Mapplethorpe had an ideological shift and he concentrated more on abstract spiritual themes rather than material ones. The uniqueness of his art lay in the fact that Mapplethorpe was unapologetic in his treatment of themes. He went ahead to capture in his frame some starkly bold moments of eroticism and the incongruous that have irked many.

What Extent Is It Either Accurate Or Helpful To Situate Fundamentalism Essay

What Extent Is It Either Accurate Or Helpful To Situate Fundamentalism In Relationship To The Project Of Modernity - Essay Example Pat Robertson has had a considerable influence on the fundamentalism through his 700 Club program plus his legal organization, his university and the politically motivated Christian Coalition, which he is the founder (Ruthven 30). This article discusses various aspects of fundamentalism so as to reveal its modern nature. The idea that fundamentalism is anti-modern can be witnessed in works by R. Scott Appleby and Martin Marty, Bruce Lawrence and Bruce Steve. Lawrence’s Defenders of God, Steve’s Fundamentalism and Appleby’s and Marty’s The Fundamentalism Project are key works in the literary comprehension of fundamentalism. A majority of scholars have similar sentiments concerning the relationship of modernity and fundamentalism. Fundamentalism is reliant on utilitarian elements of modernity, whereas Lawrence (15), Steve (54) and Appleby and Marty (43) all perceive fundamentalisms as reactions to the consequences of enlightenment, which manifests itself as modernist reasoning or modernism. Fundamentalists oppose every individual or institution, which advocates for enlightenment principles and support the banners of modernism or secularism. Considering fundamentalism as anti-modern is extremely inaccurate, but it is accurate to situate fundamentalism in relationship to the project of modernity? ... Considering fundamentalism as anti-modern is extremely inaccurate, but it is accurate to situate fundamentalism in relationship to the project of modernity? Considering fundamentalism as anti-modern obfuscates its nature and insinuates that it is illegitimate globally when it is, in reality, not for the modern world. Therefore, in the continuous qualifications of the association of fundamentalism to modernity, very little is gained. To discuss fundamentalism as a reaction to the modernist culture or modernity is to clarify an unclear term through referring to an always vague term (Steve 30). Steve’s Fundamentalism gives the reader a basis for this investigation. In his study, he brings up numerous questions about the classification of fundamentalism being anti-modern and the extent to which fundamentalism could be stipulated to modernism. From a far, it is entirely reasonable to state that fundamentalisms of all kinds react differently against the popular modernist culture. Ho wever, going through the numerous religious movements, a person cannot be completely confused by that statement. Steve (51) also admits that the phrases modern resists straightforward definitions. In his writing, the definition of modern is a code word for the entire forces of fundamentalists considered to be the threat that motivates their responses. Modernist traditions comprise of basically three dimensions incompatible to fundamentalists: a liking towards secular rationality; an acceptance of spiritual tolerance with supplementary tendencies towards individualism and relativism (Hoffmeister 15). Surely, there are elements of the modern and secular world, which pressure fundamentalists, threats that every religion should resolve. However, does