Team Presentation: Art that records history

To the left is "Furling of the Flags" a painting by artist Richard Norris Brooke. The picture depicts Confederate soldiers retiring war flags at the news of the South's surrender at Appomattox Court House. This painting by Brooke records a pivotal time period in American history. After a long, bloody Civil War, this painting captures the essence of the Confederates disgust of their recent surrendering.

During the Vietnam War, many protesters across the country pleaded their case against U.S involvement in the Asian conflict. Many of these protesters were young college students. To the left is a photo during an anti-war protest in which many young students gathered to voice their concern to the local, state, and the federal government. This photo records just one of many similar protest taking place across America at the time.

Team Presentation: Picture This

Team Presentation: Controversial Art

Our first piece of controversial art deals with a sculpture created by artist Cosimo Cavallaro. His sculpture "Chocolate Jesus" has received a lot of bad and good reviews by people and critics everywhere. The work, anatomically correct, is said to paint Jesus Christ in a "bad light". People who admire the work say, that the sculpture is a credible work that should be appreciated. Even still with these varying opinions of the art, the sculpture has had a difficult time finding a home. The work, seen to the left, is currently in an exhibit in Chelsea after being ousted from its previous location.

This second controversial artwork is a painting by Chris Ofili. His painting "Holy Virgin Mary", was exhibited in the Brooklyn Museum of Art. In 1999 this piece came under a lot of pressure when the Catholic Church and mayor Rudy Guiliani discovered the painting. They were mad because the painting depicted the Virgin Mary with sexually explicits cutouts and elephant dung. The city tried to get the lease of the museum revoked for housing such a work of art. In defense the museum sued to the federal court claiming the city violated rights protected by the first amendment.