Art History Taught Through Tabloids: Weeping Madona vs Beyonce

in #arthistory7 years ago (edited)

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The Weeping Madonna of Syracuse vs. Beyonce performing at the Grammy's

1953 vs. 2017

With the similarities of the gold accessories and headpiece when comparing Beyonce and this statue of the Virgin Mary, it's obvious that Beyonce knew what she was doing. There are various locations with statues of weeping madonnas, everywhere from Ireland to Croatia. The only one recognized by the Church is this statue of the Virgin Mary in the town of Siracusa in Sicily.

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This is the first of an ongoing series of posts that have sparked my interest. It's quite comical to notice once you start looking for the similarities between tabloid images and classic works of artwork and masterpieces. For the first entry for this series, I thought I'd share one of my recent favorites, and one of the most iconic comparisons I've discovered these past few months since I've picked up this little hobby. It's quite interesting once you began to notice the strange similarities. Most people think that photos taken by paparazzi and put in tabloids and gossip magazines are quite vapid and a waste a time. But in reality when you place images from pop culture next to their precise analogues in art history, you began to look at the tabloid photo in a different way and it might continue to resonate with you throughout the day. At least that's what happened to me once I began to notice it.

There are obviously tons of differences between pop culture and art history. There's this stigma that only one of these things can be enjoyed independently from the other. Hollywood celebrities, reality tv stars, and social media personalities are all just byproducts of visual media. We engage with them in a similar way that other societies in the past would engage with paintings. Whether it was deciphering Picasso's work in the Expressionism period, or admiring Botticelli's famous Birth of Venus painting in the Italian Renaissance.

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Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
-Lauren

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I like the idea of a "who wore it better" that spans centuries. Like, John Belushi or Caesar: the toga, who wore it better?

Haha that's a good idea too!! To be honest, that probably would have been a better title for this post haha

you get the idea of who wore it better from your post and images. You got the point across. Great post!

thank you :)

you're welcome.

This post has received a 6.31 % upvote from @booster thanks to: @mrslauren, @banjo.

Hey my fried :) That comparison picture is actually quite scary..

I was going to follow you, but then realized I already do :P Talk soon.

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But as you point out, low culture knowingly apes the theatre of high culture pretending thereby to elevate itself to something it is not. The religious overtones of many official ceremonies is for a purpose. Discuss.

Actually, I came here on an altogether different mission.

I have today created a dedicated Discord chatroom only for those who have participated in the Minnows Accelerator Project . Another small step towards helping each other support good content. See you there!

To me, this is indicative of the media obsession with archetype and sacred symbol. We also find these types of connections in Architecture, city layout, the names of Corporations and in their logos, and the back of the dollar bill.

Thanks for sharing

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