Making Mary Modest -- Light The World

[Doctor Steuss]

I imagine this was likely discussed before, but I just discovered it, so now everyone either has to relive it... or maybe discover it for the first time too.

This is the image from a Light the World news release from years back.




Here's the original painting:



Just create your own paintings and art, gulldernit.

[Res Ipsa]

***repeatedly pounds head on desk***

[Marcus]

Oh good grief.

[drumdude]

Wouldn’t want people thinking she wasn’t wearing her garments!

[Everybody Wang Chung]

They've even noticeably lightened Mary's skin. *sigh*

[Alphus and Omegus]

I think this is actually a painted copy of the original, not a digitally edited one. The point still stands though. The original was just fine for most people. There was no need to make a new image and censor the angels and the cleavage.

[Philo Sofee]

Paranoid idiots...

[Dr. Sunstoned]

It takes all kinds of arrogance, its not the first time the church as altered original art

[Chap]

Well, it could have been a lot worse.

See this article, for instance:

Maria Lactans: Breastfeeding in Christian Art
By Anjanette Barr

Funnily enough, in the ages before infant formula existed, pretty well every healthy baby began life by being fed on human milk, whether provided by its birth mother, a paid wet-nurse, or simply by a friendly woman who stepped in when the mother was unable to provide what was needed. And (shock! horror!) Christian art quite frequently depicted the baby Jesus being fed in the normal way.

With the Christmas season upon us, we have everywhere visual reminders of the humility of our Savior – that He would become human! And a helpless babe! Born of a woman to be nurtured and protected by earthly parents!

And as we celebrate His birth by displaying nativity scenes in our homes and making baby Jesus crafts with our children, I am reminded that there is something only slightly less miraculous than the Virgin Birth to be celebrated here – life itself.
Precious new life so full of wonder and promise, generously given to us by our Creator to steward.

It’s in this spirit that I want to take time to marvel at the beautiful depictions in art of Jesus’ first days – and examine why the manger scene has come to portray the Holy Family in a more detached manner than you see in the photos in this post.

Jesus Was Breastfed
There is nothing extraordinary about saying that Jesus nursed at His mother’s breast – after all, the only alternative in His time was being fed by another woman, also at the breast.

However, when breasts and breastfeeding is mentioned in Scripture the language suggests that it wasn’t seen as a crude or mundane task, but a gift and a blessing (I especially love the poetic voice of Isaiah 60:16 and Isaiah 66:11). God created the female body to make food for her baby. He created the infant to instinctively desire the closeness and sustenance of nursing. More miracles.
One of the very earliest depictions of Christ’s incarnation that we have found so far was discovered in the Catacomb of Priscilla and dates back to the early 3rd century. In the illustration, Mary is nursing the infant Jesus.

The Reformation and Christian Art
Do a Google Image search for “Maria Lactans,” “Maria de le Leche,” or “Nursing Madonna” and you’ll be presented with hundreds of beautiful depictions of the Mary nourishing Jesus at the breast.
The Catholic theology of Mary was often depicted in art of various themes – and Mary nursing Jesus emphasized not only the humility of Christ become flesh, but was sometimes symbolic of the Church’s life-giving and sustaining role for the world.

It was not until the Council of Trent (1545 - 1563) that the celibate clergy of the Roman Catholic Church came to the conclusion that such images might possibly be "lust provoking" (well, it didn't take much ...). But as the article above shows, images of Mary breastfeeding Jesus date back to the very earliest Christian images of Mary and Jesus that are known. Oh well, maybe that was one sign of the beginning of the Great Apostasy?

[huckelberry]

I think this is actually a painted copy of the original, not a digitally edited one. The point still stands though. The original was just fine for most people. There was no need to make a new image and censor the angels and the cleavage.

Alqhus, I am curious as to why you think that.I do not know that you are wrong but repainting it is a bunch of work and the drawing is exact duplicate except for the breast covering which is the only drapery completely smooth. Not a trace of a wrinkle or fold. I realize a photo duplicate of the original could be completely painted over into a new painting so that all the drawing (all those other drapery folds) remain the same.

However done the new image doesn't have that Catholic earthy style and quality.