I have the website for The Leo bookmarked. The Leo is an independent, “alternative” newspaper published in Louisville, Kentucky.  The editorial slant is unapologetic and progressive.  The coverage of culture and local happenings is extensive and well written.  I’ve visited Louisville a number of times and find the town on the Ohio river stimulating.  The Leo is a thought provoking newspaper. 

I found an article about an exhibit of Andy Warhol’s Christianity on display  at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Andy Warhol: Revelation.  I am not a Warhol fan.  No doubt his work is an acquired taste, which I have yet to acquire.  As with any artist, Warhol was representative of his time.  Art is not necessarily about beauty.  Meaning is the cornerstone of art. 

I was interested to learn that Warhol was raised Catholic and as an artist incorporated Christian imagery into his work.  Warhol was a gay man and must have used the friction-resistance rising from his sexual orientation and the Catholic church as productive inspiration for some of his work.  Had I the opportunity to become acquainted with Warhol, we would’ve had a good conversation.

I too was raised as a Christian.  Many of the sensibilities and valuations of that heritage remain active, generative in my thinking, in my effort as a human being to be productive.  For example I am drawn by the ennui, the pregnant silence and the austere instructions of Jesus to his followers in the last supper scene.  This is depicted famously in Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th century work “The Last Supper”.  I am also entranced by the description of Jesus, accused of insurrection, being examined by the Roman Procurator.  Humanity on display under pressure is the unmistakable theme of this scene.  In the conversation between the representative of the Roman Imperiam and the Palestinian peasant, Jesus is authentically free.

The Leo article by Jo Anne Triplett featured a graphic of Warhol’s 1986 creation of “The Last Supper,” a subject which he revisited over 100 times.  The artist doubled the table scene, color blocked it and printed it as a silkscreen. 

This is a Warhol print that I would be pleased to own.

*lyric line from Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin