Anti-clerical art is a genre of art portraying clergy, especially Roman Catholic clergy, in unflattering contexts. It was especially popular in France during the second half of the 19th century, at a time that the anti-clerical message suited the prevailing political mood. Typical paintings show cardinals in their bright red robes engaging in unseemly activities within their lavish private quarters.
Nineteenth and early twentieth century artists known for their anti-clerical art include Francesco Brunery, Georges Croegaert, Charles Édouard Delort, Jehan Georges Vibert, and Eduardo Zamacois y Zabala. Masami Teraoka is among the contemporary painters producing anti-clerical art.
Famous quotes containing the word art:
“The fate of our times is characterized by rationalization and intellectualization and, above all, by the “disenchantment of the world.” Precisely the ultimate and most sublime values have retreated from public life either into the transcendental realm of mystic life or into the brotherliness of direct and personal human relations. It is not accidental that our greatest art is intimate and not monumental.”
—Max Weber (1864–1920)