Rather than reinforcing the teachings or values of the church, the artist may, in fact, challenge the church and confront the viewer with a disturbing or troubling image. Art can be more than a transmitter of a culture or a tradition it may be an agent of change. This disequilibrium is a conscious goal for many artists. They wish to expose the hypocrisy of our disconnection between espoused values and actions, for instance. Perhaps they wish to call attention to the plight of the suffering, poor and marginalized in society.
Indifference is challenged by images of injustice, violence or pain.
Graphic representations of such things are hard to ignore or to forget. Prophetic art is intended to provoke, to subvert, to criticize and to move us to action. For example, the George Segal sculpture of Abraham holding a knife over a cowering Isaac, now on the Princeton University campus, was originally intended as a memorial to the four college students slain by the National Guard at Kent State. Art s expressive function may belong in this category as well. This, however, considers the artist s goal or intention, rather than the viewer s benefit.