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| Kate Kretzs' "Blessed Art Thou," at the Clelsea Galleria depicts the "celebrity worship cycle." |
Angelina Jolie as the Holy Virgin Mary?
01/07/07
A holy vision of Angelina Jolie holding newborn daughter Shiloh, attended by cherubs Maddox and Zahara, appears over a Wal-Mart checkout line. A place normally associated with tabloids' rumor-mongering headlines and outlandish claims. Maybe this is why no one seems to notice.
This is the subject of North Carolina artist Kate Kretzs' painting "Blessed Art Thou," showing this weekend at Art Miamis' annual modern and contemporarty art expo. The painting is for sale, asking price $50,000.00, through the Chelsea Galleria in Miami.
The painting is about "the celebrity worship cycle" Kretz said on her blog. She chose Angelina Jolie as the subject "because of her unavoidable presence in the media, the worldwide anticipation of her child, her 'unattainable' beauty and the good that she is doing in the world through her example, which adds another layer to the already complicated questions surrounding her status."
Though critics dismiss the painting as being nothing new, and not an improvement on the theme, the reaction its causing in the media is undeniable. USA TODAY reports Kretzs' blog has seen an increase from 30 to 15,000 unique visitors per day, further illustrating the question the painting raises.
2007
Angelina Jolie Poster Size Wall Calendar
