Graffiti Jesus

This work is by an artist who goes by Banksy, an underground graffiti artist who keeps his identity hidden. His works are usually satirical and this one is no exception. Although this image may cause controversy, because of the misuse of the image of the Crucifixion, Banksy is making a valid point about society and its treatment of holidays such as Christmas and Easter.

When you look at this image, you automatically notice three things: the image is mostly black and white, the gifts are the only things that have color, and there is no cross. If you are familiar with Banksy, you should not be surprised to see that the picture is almost colorless. Most of Banksy’s works are in black, white, and one other random color. The black and white is used to bring the audience’s attention to the colored parts of the image. In this case the third color is pink, which brings the viewer’s attention to the gifts. Banksy wants you to focus on the gifts because he wants you to see how Jesus and them clash together; they don’t go together. This is attacking the materialism that has taken over Christian holidays by illustrating that the two do not belong together. The exclusion of the cross symbolizes the exclusion of religious meaning behind the holidays. The combination of the presents and lack of cross basically tells the viewer that materialism has replaced the role of religion in Christmas and Easter, which means that the holidays lost their meaning in today’s culture. Though I may not agree with Banksy’s use of the Crucifixion, he makes a pretty convincing argument about today’s society and consumer holidays.