Throughout history, art has been a powerful vehicle for social and political protest enabling artists to voice dissent, challenge established norms, and advocate for change. The Catholic Church has often found itself entwined with protest movements, either as a target of criticism or as a source of inspiration for artistic expression.
In A Brief History of Protest Art, Aindrea Emelife argues that art and protest are forms of political thought and recognizes the ability of artists to communicate powerful messages through their work. She believes that social change can be promoted through artwork. In particular, she defines protest art as a “sign of resistance to a hierarchical, global standardized political model.”[1] The role of protest art is to challenge the status quo, denouncing histories of dominance, subordination, and marginalization. Emelife writes, “In shaking up our reality and reinterpreting the world anew, the artist reveals existing power relations within society, determining what is worthy of recalibrating.”[2]
This essay explores the dynamic relationship between protest art and social change within the Catholic Church. Various popes in recent centuries highlighted the importance of artistic expression for the promulgation of the Catholic faith; yet the relationship between Church and art has not always been one of esteem but also suspicion. Can the Church benefit from artistic critique and uncover unjust narratives within its system? I argue that protest art can be a precious ally to help theology in its critic role and uncover narratives that reinforce marginalization. I will first examine the relationship between the Magisterium and artists in recent history; second, I will consider selected works by Andy Warhol and Fr. Jan Haen that challenge the Church’s response to people living with AIDS and LGBTQ+ Catholics.
An intricate relationship
The relationship between the Church and artists has not always been a happy marriage. The Church’s hierarchical structure has occasionally clashed with protest art’s subversive and often confrontational nature. In some historical occurrences, censorship and backlash from Church authorities have stifled artistic endeavors that critique the institution.
The iconoclastic controversy ended by the Second Council of Nicaea (787 CE) is a clear example of the intricate relationship between Church and art.[3] Centuries later, Saint Charles Borromeo advised bishops to pay particular attention to the content of sacred images, sanctioning with “a heavy punishment or penalty” those painters, sculptors, and also pastors who created and permitted unusual or offensive images to be displayed in churches, fearing they could promote doctrinal errors.[4]
In the 20th century, popes recognized the value of artists’ work in spreading the faith. Mediator Dei (1947) acknowledges that “modern art should be given free scope” (n. 195);[5] Sacrosanctum Concilium reiterates this point in n. 123. However dialogical these statements may seem, both documents underscore that it belongs exclusively to the Church’s authorities to judge which works are in accordance with the faith and are suitable for sacred use.[6] During the closing address of the Council, Pope Paul VI expressed his esteem for the work of artists, affirming the Church’s desire to build a relationship of friendship. At the same time, he warned artists to be free from “the search after strange or unbecoming expressions,” and invited them to strive to be “worthy of the Church.”[7] In 1999, writing his letter to artists, Pope John Paul II re-expressed his desire to cultivate a relationship of friendship.[8] John Paul II states that the Church needs artists’ works to spread the Gospel and to communicate the faith. Moreover, his insistence on solidarity throughout his pontificate may also have been inspired by the Polish Independent Trade Union, whose logo, Solidarność, designed in 1980 by Jerzy Janiszewski, spread and sparked social protests nationwide.
In 2009, Benedict XVI met artists in the beautiful location of the Sistine Chapel. In his address, he highlighted the importance of the via pulchritudinis on the path of salvation while also cautioning artists of the dangers of a “seductive but hypocritical beauty” which serves power, possession and turns into “indecency, transgression, or gratuitous provocation.”[9]
Among the popes of the last two centuries, Pope Francis connected artistic work most explicitly with the Church’s social mission. In his 2023 address to the artists gathered again in the Sistine Chapel, he recognizes artists’ prophetic role in denouncing injustice and criticizing the status quo, particularly “false myths and new idols.”[10] He wants to inaugurate a new season “born of a climate of listening, freedom and respect.” Francis’ synodal approach also emerges in his relationship with artists. The pope appealed to artists to be the voice of the poor and marginalized, “the interpreters of their silent plea.” In highlighting the prophetic role of artists, Pope Francis recognizes the transformative potential of protest art.
However, further development is essential to strengthen the relationship with artists. Interestingly, the statute of the modern collection of the Vatican Museums only allows the curator to acquire works by already deceased artists.[11]Consequently, authentic dialogue with living artists is already excluded in one of the most significant official collections in the Catholic Church.
The transformative power of protest art
In this last section, I would like to present two artists who, in recent decades, challenged our conscience regarding two social issues that often cause controversy in the Church: the first considers the relation between the Church and the stigma around people living with AIDS; the second advocates for the recognition of LGBTQ+ Christians in their communities.
Although Christian motifs frequently appeared explicitly or metaphorically in Andy Warhol’s art, the artist’s faith came as a surprise to the people who convened at Warhol’s funeral and heard the eulogy of the art historian John Richardson, mentioning that the Pop artist attended Mass multiple times per week.[12] However, Warhol’s relationship with Catholicism is far from uncomplicated.[13] He struggled all his life to reconcile the tension between his Catholic faith and being a queer man, often feeling guilty towards the Church. These feelings sharpened amid the AIDS crisis and the response of the Church that, in the words of many preachers, saw it as a divine punishment for unnatural sexual conduct. One of the most important series disclosing Warhol’s concerns and denunciation of AIDS discrimination is The Last Supper, initially exhibited in Milan in 1987 at Palazzo delle Stelline across the street from Leonardo’s fresco.Previous analysis focused on Warhol’s homage to Leonardo, ideas of artistic inspiration, or his approach to religion. No one connected Warhol’s faith with the AIDS crisis affecting even his inner circle of friends. Jessica Beck opens a new perspective, making a compelling case to see Warhol’s work expressing his fear and grief in response to the AIDS crisis, and the conflicts between his faith and sexuality.[14] Warhol aimed at denouncing unjust discrimination and expressing solidarity. If this interpretation is correct, the series can be considered a form of protest art against the stigma that people living with AIDS were suffering, even in the Church. Beck writes that the series is “a plea for salvation from the suffering to which the homosexual community was subjected during these years.”[15] The series provokes the viewers to question their willingness to recognize unjust discrimination and take action.
A second author I propose to consider is Fr. Jan Haen. Fr. Haen is a Redemptorist priest from the Netherlands who, through his artistic talent, brings color and joy to people suffering from imprisonment and poverty, particularly in Europe and South Africa. Fr. Haen paints for the people and with them, transforming each artwork into a living story. His two recent graphic novels Heavenly Homos, Etc and Heavenly LGBTQ+ focus on stories of LGBTQ+ Catholics and saints to raise awareness about the marginalization that too many still suffer within their communities.[16] Although Fr. Haen tells stories from the past, they speak to us today. His last graphic book Heavenly LGBTQ+ starts from the accusation of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, claiming that the war in Ukraine is a counterattack to the Pride culture that is devastating Western culture and an invitation to Christian communities to reflect on their role in re-enforcing such accusations. Fr. Haen’s art provokes our conscience and challenges us to denounce injustice that reinforces marginalization in the Church. Countless other examples of artists who focus on women’s rights, the environment, peace, racism, and more could/should be considered.
Protest art is designed to wake us up. It invites us to look at the world, uncover injustice and use our imagination to act. Protest art is an invitation to dialogue; its power resides in the beauty of the artifacts it produces, and the conversations and actions it provokes. Protest art and theology can be allies in raising awareness and inspiring people to act within their communities and in the Catholic Church at large. Pope Francis rightly recognizes artists’ prophetic role; it is time to develop a more serious engagement with their work. Perhaps, we could all start taking an afternoon for ourselves and visiting a challenging protest art exhibition.
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[1] Aindrea Emelife, A Brief History of Protest Art (London: Tate Publishing London, 2022), 9.
[2] Emelife, 16.
[3] See Heinrich Denzinger, Enchiridion symbolorum definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum (Bologna: EDB, 1996), nn. 600-03.
[4] Evelyn Carole Voelker, “Charles Borromeo’s ‘Instructiones fabricae et supellectilis ecclesiasticae,’ 1577: A Translation with Commentary and Analysis” (Ph.D Dissertation, Syracuse University, 1977), 228-29.
[5] Pius XII, Encyclical on the Sacred Liturgy Mediator Dei (20 November 1947), at Castel Gandolfo. https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_20111947_mediator-dei.html.
[6] See Vatican Council II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium (4 December 1963), at The Holy See, §123-24. https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html.
[7] Paul VI, Address to Artists (8 December 1965), at the Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/speeches/1965/documents/hf_p-vi_spe_19651208_epilogo-concilio-artisti.html.
[8] John Paul II, Letter to Artists (4 April 1999), at the Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_23041999_artists.html.
[9] Benedict XVI, Meeting with Artists (21 November 2009), at the Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2009/november/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20091121_artisti.html.
[10] Francis, Address to Artists for the 50th Anniversary of the Inaugurtion of the Vatican Museums’ Collection of Modern Art (23 June 2023), at the Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/june/documents/20230623-artisti.html.
[11] See Johannes Rauchenberger, “Ars Religiosa, Ars Sacra, Ars Liturgica,” in Liturgia e Arte: La sfida della contemporaneità, ed. Goffredo Boselli (Magnano, BI: Edizioni Qiqajon, 2011), 34-35.
[12] See Grace Glueck, “Warhol Is Remembered by 2,000 at St. Patrick’s,” The New York Times (New York), 2 April 1987, 1987, https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/02/nyregion/warhol-is-remembered-by-2000-at-st-patrick-s.html.
[13] This theme has been extensively studied by Jane Daggett Dillenberger, The Religious Art of Andy Warhol (New York: Continuum, 1998), and is the focus of a recent exhibit “Andy Warhol: Revelation” displayed at the Brooklyn Museum from November 2021 to June 2022.
[14] See Jessica Beck, “Warhol’s Confession: Love, Faith, and Aids,” in Andy Warhol: From a to B and Back Again, ed. Donna De Salvo (New Haven: Yale University Press), 84-95. The essay is also available online.
[15] Beck, in Andy Warhol: From a to B and Back Again, 93.
[16] See Jan Haen, Heavenly Homos, Etc: Queer Icons from LGBTQ Life, Religion and History (Hannacroix, NY: Apocryphile, 2022); Heavenly LGBTQ+: Queer Icons from LGBTQ Life, Religion and History (Hannacroix, NY: Apocryphile Press, 2023).