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Why Did This Painting Offend Christians?

Why Did This Painting Offend Christians?

Published 3 hours ago
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OUR ANALYSES:
▶ Beyond Good and Evil: https://youtu.be/WIHXZUltfqk
▶ The Antichrist: https://youtu.be/qej1Z8Qzq_c
▶ Genealogy of Morals: https://youtu.be/6PUx4cOfFcI
▶ Twilight of the Idols: https://youtu.be/YpVr_NEvWYA
▶ The Will to Power: https://youtu.be/He6ZC7ZFBt8
▶ Daybreak: https://youtu.be/cOL2z7nuXdA
▶ The Joyful Science: https://youtu.be/U0fTBOJ-C_I

Caspar David Friedrich's Cross in the Mountains might seem like an innocent painting. It is what is says: a cross in the mountains. 

But it sparked a huge debate culture war in Germany. The painting became the battleground for the so-called Ramdohrstreit, the Ramdohr Battle.

The painting was an altarpiece, yet it depicted a landscape. A huge faux pas: landscape painting was considered one of the lowest genres of painting. Totally unfitting for an altarpiece, which should show a historical scene (the crucifixion of Jesus) or an allegory for God (such as the Lamb of God).

The painting became a dividing line in a battle for the meaning of art. Neoclassicism versus Romanticism.

Should art conform to timeless, objective ideals, or can art also be transformative if it has a strong subjective effect?

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