There are so many things (physical and intangiable) in this world that we can't change, or we don't agree with, and we have to share the world with these things. At times we may feel very uncomfortable sharing our world and environment with these things. But... We really don't have a choice we have to cohabitate with things we're uncomfortable with and can't change. No matter how hard we try to change the things that make us uncomfortable we have to live with them. Even if we try to ignore the fact that these things exist it doesn't matter because they will still share the same world as us. The world we live in is full of beautiful things, but there is still ugliness around us. Chris Ofili's abstract painting The Holy Virgin Mary really opened my eyes to the things I mentioned above, and made me see things in new ways. His painting is abstract because it resembles the Virgin Mary but isn't a realistic picture of her. It wouldn't be a picture of her you would see in a church. His painting makes a person think in new ways because it is abstract and leaves more room for a person to interpert their own idea about the painting and create there own opinions of it. His painting depicts The Virgin Mary that shares the canvas with things like cut outs of porn, and REAL elephant dung. So many people were offended by his painting and thought it was very disprespectful. His painting stirred up so much controversey that the mayor threatend to stop all funding to the museum holding the show. This was Ofili agenda he wanted to open the eyes of people. When I look at the Virgin Mary I think about peaceful and good things, but Ofili threw ugly things in the painting with her as well. He throws it in the face of the viewer that things beautiful and ugly cohabitate in our world and we'll never ever feel comfortable about these things, but they do in fact exist in the same universe. No matter how beautiful something seems it's always tainted with ugliness somewhere. His painting made me think that no matter what I do to try and change the things that bother me there will always be something that I'm not comfortable with, and I have to learn to live with these things. People were so upset that the painting contained all these things and they wanted to get rid of the painting so bad that someone destroyed his art work, but his art work was there and will always be remember even though it was destroyed. Just like if you try to ignore something that makes you uncomfortable, you could put it out of sight, but never out of mind. I believe his painting was very valuable and is valued far beyond monetary worth. The controversey he stirred up alone is worth more then money. My opinion and thought about the message his art work stud for is that beautiful and ugliness exist together in this world and there is nothing I can do about it other then learn how to coexist with them and make the most of it. I can't pretend that everything is beautiful, because there is always something tainted sharing my enviornment with me.
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