Ever walk into a museum or gallery and immediately what to leave for fear of desecrating some "holy of holies" you never knew existed? I have plenty of times. This also applies to church, and I love the story of St. Philip Neri. A pope who shaved off half his beard to make fun of himself as he walked to a ceremony meaning to honor him, wearing a cushion on his head as he walked down the street another time. These acts of performance art, or as St. Phillip Neri called them "public acts of silliness" are only a hint at how this man earned the nickname "The Humorous Saint". If whoever is reading this has the time you should really click on the link below. The author tells stories like this about several saints and even a few popes that are hilarious.
I guess in thinking about "high-brow" versus "low-brow" work I make some strange connection between the stories told in the article and the world of art. I am serious about art galleries. They are intimidating or flat out scary at times. When it is intentional it is one thing, but when it comes from a feeling of unworthiness it is another. People seem to assign sacredness to things that is really unnecessary, I think Philip Neri would agree. Reverence for the sake of reverence, be it religious or otherwise, only seems to hinder the experience rather than enlightening it. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-james-martin-sj/the-saints-were-yes-funny_b_2057837.html
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