This painting takes substantial liberties with the story, goes way beyond the text, and would tax our credulity if we thought of it only as an illustration of a biblical episode. The artist has interpreted and expanded the scene, challenging our imaginations. Formal aspects of the work itself, including the interplay of light and color, the structure of the composition, even the quality of the paint or brushwork also provide a nonverbal level of meaning-making. The second problem is a concern about art that is not dismissive at all, since it recognizes the power of the visual and its impact on viewers. This is the concern that art is distracting, and therefore to be carefully managed and even curbed.
Art awakens the senses and emotions.
We are attracted to the beautiful, delighted by it. According to this point of view, such responses must be restrained and controlled because the demands of religion are sober, rational, and matters for the mind more than the heart. There is no place for unpredictable human passions in this serious business. Related to that is the fear that distracted art lovers will not only squander their immortal souls, but also the church s funds. This sort of thinking is echoed in the secular, political realm that calls for basics and denounces frills in public education.