we have studied the depiction of the virgin mary or madonna throughout many periods within the history of art. we have looked at how depictions of this figure have changed based upon the popular style of the day and the contemporary cultural climate mainly within europe. although mary was born in the galilee in northern israel, she is often depicted as being of european decent with pale skin and light brown hair. many of us, especially in the united states, are used to seeing her this way. as you can imagine, not all people in the world see her like this. let’s take a chance to review some other depictions of this figure, some of which may be considered controversial. black madonna images: http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/blackmdn.html latin american madonna images: http://www.hispaniconline.com/hh03/mainpages/religion/mary_index.html http://www.crystalinks.com/ladyguadalupeday.html japanese madonna images: http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/gallery/exhibits/oldshw30.html contemporary madonna images: http://campus.udayton.edu/mary//gallery/exhall.html edvard munch: http://www.moma.org/collection/printable_view.php?object_id=62017 Contemporary Depiction of the Madonna: After you have explored some of the websites, take a look at a contemporary depiction of the Madonna by Ofili, then read an article about it. 1. Ofili''s Madonna: http://www.worldofart.org/aktualno/wp-content/2007-08/stallabrass/lecture/61ofili.jpg 2. Article on Ofili''s Madonna: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1248/is_1_88/ai_58616908 How do you assess the situation? Was the public reaction justified? How does this depiction of the Madonna compare with earlier depictions from Europe and around the world? This topic is potentially inflammatory and controversial. Please, take extra care to write civil posts that respect the rights of others to have opinions that might differ from yours.