I’m reposting some of my previous holiday posts, as part of my holiday tradition thing. Enjoy!
In honor of the birth of Jesus — or rather, the supposed birth of the very-likely-entirely-imaginary Jesus character in the New Testament myth — I bring you, from my visit to the Art Institute in Chicago: Ugly Renaissance baby Jesuses. (Jesi?)
Really fills you with a deep sense of reverence and awe, doesn’t it? Or something.
Greta Christina is author of four books: Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing to Do with God, Coming Out Atheist: How to Do It, How to Help Each Other, and Why, Why Are You Atheists So Angry? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless, and Bending: Dirty Kinky Stories About Pain, Power, Religion, Unicorns, & More.
If you’re interested in learning a bit about the “ugly baby” approach in medieval/renaissance painting, there’s lots of info easily available (e.g. http://www.vox.com/2015/7/8/8908825/ugly-medieval-babies)
The top one is a dead ringer for a retired judge I know.
The top one kinda looks like Dick Cheney.
That’s a nasty looking boil that Mary has in the last one. I wouldn’t squeeze it like that if I were her.
Reverence and Awe? Hmm… I’m definitely feeling the “something”. 🙂
The first one loo like Elmer Fudd. Secretly being Jesus might explain how he survives some of his encounters with Bugs.