As a whole it is apparent we have come a long way in regards to freedom of expression. Fifty years ago it was a sin to advertise tampons-- imagine showing them our commercials for viagra, or our billboards for gentlemen’s clubs. Though, as a body politic, responses have made it disturbingly clear that when it comes to protecting the deeply held religious beliefs of a few we are ready to go to war over challenges posed by controversial works of art, denying support and recognition as a consequent of the subject matter used by an artist in his work. People have become afraid of art that makes them feel uncomfortable. This is largely a result of close-mindedness, part homophobia and biases resulting from religious views, based loosely on principle and more so on prejudice. This is the inevitable tension that exists between religious understanding and popular culture. “It is the debate between individual freedom and moral ideologies.”( Stumpo). A personal preference rather than a political preference, should be the ultimate deciding factor in appreciating art. Artists need not be troubled by decency campaigns. A good artist will never compromise his vision. Those disturbed by certain images can simply look away, but we cannot deny them existence.

In the words of Pablo Picasso, “Painting is not done to decorate apartments.” Of art’s numerous purposes, one of those most significant is its ability to challenge the status quo, and to subvert the mainstream view of things. Art does this by touching upon sensitive issues, often finding itself effective through expressing using often unpopular and unaccepted sentiments or ideals. Take for example, the “Piss Christ” by Andres Serrano, a photograph of a crucifix submerged in the artists own urine. A work like this provokes quite a bit of thought. “Art should start conver

Some topics in this essay:
Andres Serrano, Stumpo Freedom, Jesus Christ, Pablo Picasso, art forms, throughout history, principle prejudice, support recognition, artistic merit, artistic freedom, controversial artwork, equal funding,