Art History Journal

Iconoclasm is the destruction of holy figures or symbols. In Byzantium between 611 and 617, people became upset about images of Christ, angels, and Mary being created because they believed that it was evil to create images of what holy figures may have looked like. Because of these feelings toward holy images, iconoclasm started. Even today there are still some instances of modern iconoclasm.
In 1997, artist Andres Serrano started a major controversy when he created the "Piss Christ." This artist took a crucifix and put it in a container of his urine. He then painted his little creation. He did not destroy the holy figure, but he took it and made it something disgusting and disdainful. It is a modern day form of iconoclasm He took a depiction of Christ giving everything up for the sake of the world and made it look like it was worth nothing. For Christians, it caused a lot of anger because that symbol is something that is regarded to be holy. Serrano took it and destroyed its meaning. Every person has the right to believe what they want and show their emotions toward their belief. But when a person stomps on other people's religion, it shows disrespect. Iconoclasm in and of itself is disrespectful. In the past, images have been destroyed because they portray Christ in human form and people believed that was pagan work. No one knows what Jesus really looked like, but there is nothing wrong with creating images to portray Him. Because these images reflect a God considered to be holy, they should be treated with some respect.