OlderAngelina Jolie Reaches Sainthood
What would Angelina Jolie and her children — Maddox, Zahara, and Shiloh — look like depicted as saints, virgins, and cherubs? Kate worked out her own depiction of them on an 88′ x 60″ oil & acrylic on linen in a painting called “Blessed Art Thou.” Here’s how she describes the painting:
This painting addresses the celebrity worship cycle. The title, “Blessed Art Thou”, is taken from a line in the Catholic prayer “Hail Mary”: “…blessed art thou among women”. Our culture is deifying celebrities, but in the bible, it is the meek who are blessed, so the title presents a question for the viewer to ponder.
I chose a setting where the cycle begins: psychologically oppressive environments like this one are the source for the consumer, hungry for “information” about the celebrity. I am interested in the psychological ramifications of celebrity worship, particularly as they relate to class.
Angelina Jolie was chosen as the subject because of her unavoidable presence in the media, the world-wide anticipation of her child, her “unattainable” beauty and the good that she is doing in the world through her example, which adds another layer to the complicated questions about her “deification”.
The “Virgin” and Zahara figures are loosely based on a Van Dyck Virgin painting, and the Maddox figure’s pose is borrowed from a Raphael painting.
The artwork will be on display at the Chelsea Galleria booth at the Art Miami Fair at the Miami Beach Convention Center, January 5-8th. Kate will be at the fair Friday & Saturday.
Click on the thumbnails below for more detail. Wal-Mart is depicted as… hell.
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Posted to: Angelina Jolie, Celebrity Babies, Maddox Jolie Pitt, Shiloh Jolie Pitt, Zahara Jolie Pitt
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332 Comments
This painting is really disgusting. I also believe that when fans start to believe such bizarre things about a celebrity we are crossing a line. If you are wondering what I mean think John Lennon and that nut that was obsessing about Jody Foster. There are sick people out there. I would worry if I were Brad or Angelina. This is nothing to take lightly. It is highly disturbing to say the least. Why are we imaging her in saintwood. Don’t you have to die to be a saint? Hey I am just wondering.
Marjorie Says:
January 3rd, 2007 at 9:42 am
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I’m thinking that the painter is a feminist and her use of Angelina is mainly because she has always been a lightning rod for controversy, especially when it comes to her personal life. Unfortunately, for some women, they continue to see Brad as the one who was led by his wanker and ensnared in an instant family and that going home to ___ will restore him to who he ‘really’ is.
While I hate bandying this word around but there is a hint of racism in it too. The choice of having Maddox and Zahara nude while Shiloh was clothed and covered seems to be a slap at M and Z because they were from impoverished countries. And it serves as another way of distancing Maddox and Zahara from Angelina, Brad, and Shiloh.
How Ridiculous! I personally find it offensive and blaspehmous. And she could have chosen someone else who had a “unavoidable presence” in the media last year. And where is Brad? talk about a slight. He’s a major part of her life. Without brad, no Shiloh or even maybe no Zahara. All people see is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. To top it off Angelina would be the LAST person to want to see her depicted as a saint. She may not mind her childen seen as angelic likemost mothers but still. They really don’t know her do they? UGH!
Come on. This is absolutely unreal. The Jolie-Pitts are not saints, but philanthropists. Their “do-gooder” persona not only benefits their cause, but themselves as well. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s wonderful there is an interest helping children all over the world, but celebrities are all about themselves. It would be more praiseworthy if we, the public, found out about their dedication to their cause, charities, organizations on error, not by massive media blitzes. Geesh.
This painting is one of the reasons why I am glad that Brad & Angelina control the release of “official” photos of their family. The Jolie-Pitt Family means bucks…..in computer hits and magazine sales. It will be one year in a couple of days that Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt announced that they were pregnant to People Magazine. That announcement drew 17 MILLION hits to People Magazines web sight in a single day….ONE DAY!!! Can you imagine that EVERYONE sees dollar signs where this family is concerned…..the phoney wedding in Italy….the visit to Dubai….National Alledger stories…..you name it….all in the name of drawing people to their sight, country, hotel, town, etc, etc, to make a profit.
Why do you think US Magazine is on the outside trying to look into the Jolie-Pitt family……they published those Kenya pics and have been made fools of by Jolie & Pitt ever since! Think….She’s due May 2……now we know that Brad & Angie had the exact same due date as Matt Damon & his wife…..but US magazine put in a date that would fit their neverending “triangle” scenario that Angelina was pregnant before the divorce was final…..just to stirr the pot a bit more. They can’t event get access to Brad when he is doing legit work down in New Orleans because the won’t quit with the triangle crap!
I majored in journalism and to look at these tabloids & entertainment shows is a lesson in “yellow journalism”. Just watch an entertainment show closely one day…….On some shows the bias is so obvious by the questions that they ask, because you know the answer has to fit the point the interviewer wants to get across before the show even airs! On Showbiz tonight AJ Hammer even said when announcing a segment on Angelina’s Vogue interview ” she is opening up about Brad Pitt who left his wife Jennifer Aniston…..blah blah, Blah….and Brooke Anderson even said ” they have never admitted to having an affair” as a follow-up to an answer……Just blatant bias!!! And don’t get me started on these “polls” where the same persons or fan groups can vote over and over again. We even do this ourselves……
Why do we care….Brad & Angelina don’t care what the world thinks about them because they have so many other things to talk about that are important to them. They still go about their humanitarian duties while folks call them names….they don’t skip one beat to answer the Douglas & Trumps of the world….
Now watch this sickness appear on the entertainment shows this evening. You all know they get their Brad & Angelina material from JustJared.
This was not in the mainstream media. So if it shows up, you know where they got it from.
Me Too Says:
January 3rd, 2007 at 10:12 am
Thanks, I’ll be voting every 15 mins I reaally should be catching up on my work load from Christmasthrunewyears but I’m at the bottom of the tier of state workers. I do data entry into screen form and then redirect everyone to some one else with their questions. Yes, I’m one of those people you all hate when you’re trying to get an issue resolved!!!!! Well, it’s either this, or games on the computer, I chose chasing BAMZS around ;)
Why doesn’t this artist depict the wronged woman as sainted??? She is the one that started the malestrom and seems to keep it on the front pages, not Angelina and her family.
I must say the Wal-Mart depiction is excellent and should be used for political art instead.
Hello all and Happy New Year!
This is truly disgusting and disturbing. Goodness, was no other way to pass her “message” without stooping to this?
Susie
I don’t think there is a WE when it comes to imagining AJ as a saint. The painter is definately on HER own on that. I’d like to know how many people she spoke to before coming to the asinine conclusion that people think AJ is a saint…..that’s if she did.
Susie - We are NOT imagining her as a saint. It’s the artist who painted her that way. The haters claim that the fans think she’s a saint and she’s not. She’s HUMAN and her kids are human, therefore her kids and her should be treated with decency and respect that every human deserves.
What’s disturbing is the artist using Angelina and her kids as her subject. Like Angelina’s personal life has not been exploited enough by the media. And the way the kids are depicted is just WRONG.
That’s what people can’t through their head. Angelina is human. She gets her feelings hurt too and can get angry about things. Wish people would be a little more thoughtful with their actions towards ALL human beings. And stop exploiting kids to make some kind of stupid point through their work.
maybe Shiloh is her only “begotten” child so Maddox and Zahara had to be angels?
And can people stop using the juvenile expression “do-gooder”. WTF is that anyway? Is there such a word as “do-badder”?
The worst thing about this is that people like Joe Scarborough will try to spin this as if Angelina commissioned this painting, posed for it, and allowed Maddox and Zahara to pose nude for it, all the while, holding and cradling Shiloh. YOU JUST KNOW that his specially selected peanut gallery aka In Touch and Life and Style will egg him on, anything to keep themselves in dental whitening treatments and microdermabrasions.
Denise - I suppose by the same logic you see Oprah’s mass media blitz about her school opening as wrong…am I right?
What’s disturbing is that celebrities who try to help others and bring awareness to important issues are seen as PR wh*res, but people seeing ads of people promoting perfumes for their own profits, is perfectly ok.
Angelina’s job for the UNHCR is to bring awareness to issues related to refugees, she has to speak out. How the hell else is she suppose to get the word out.
And for the last year, her family has been STALKED. She’s not calling these paps up, they won’t leave her alone, so why not make those razzies follow them to places that need attention like Pakistian, Haiti, Coasta Rica.
Very beautiful painting. (colors forms etc) But is it me or little Za is a little bit “left apart”?
piper, with a low says: “While I hate bandying this word around but there is a hint of racism in it too. The choice of having Maddox and Zahara nude while Shiloh was clothed and covered seems to be a slap at M and Z because they were from impoverished countries. And it serves as another way of distancing Maddox and Zahara from Angelina, Brad, and Shiloh.” >> This is what I thought at first.
I just hope the fact that Mad and Za are nude is just to make them looking like angels.
Just when we thought we could rest easy now, with Brad and Angie coming out as a couple on the TGS red carpet, with the hoopla about the Bermuda triangle dying down because of it, and with new and better things to look forward to — the GG, the Oscars, new movies coming out for both of them — comes this sh*t of an exploitation. That artist knew that her choice of subject matter would be very controversial and would get people talking and wanting to view it, so that’s the very reason she chose Angelina Jolie, one of the most talked about celebrities today, be it magazines, blogs, entertainment shows, even legitimate news stories. I really hate this!
As expected there will be different reactions to this painting. The caption is “blessed art thou” not Saint Angelina.
did anyone saw Dirty last night? What the h.e.l.l was that? it was almost like porn.
SAINTHOOD??????
BWHAAAAHAABWHAAAAAAAAAAAAAABWHAAAAAAA.
piper with a low
You’re too kind, I see more than a hint of racism. To this person, AJ’s Adoption of an African and Asian child IS why she is a saint. God knows you have to be one to adopt a child “of Color”
NYCGalnVA
Good Point about the media. Gone are the days when the Media was only supposed to REPORT the news. Now they create it, add and subtract from it….until it fits their own bias.
Anyone who has read these threads will know the fans do not see AJ and BP as saints. Like I’ve always said, I’d take someone who openly admits their flaws and mistake over someone who acts like butter won’t melt in their mouth. In my opinon, this painting is just another way to discredit AJ. Now all the naysayers can go “well, we knew it all along, she wants people to think she’s a saint”, completely disregarding the fact that the woman has never once said she’d like to be anything but who she is….An Actress and Humanitarian. If people want to see her as a saint, that’s THEIR problem not hers.
I feel that we BAMZS fans should spin this back on to the “artist”. This Kate is an opportunist, has bad taste and is delusional. This family is not public domain. There should be a lawsuit.
i take a week off from blogging for the holidays and come back for this craziness? sheesh! angie’s not a saint. just a good person doing good things in the public eye.
Anom Says:
January 3rd, 2007 at 10:48 am
did anyone saw Dirty last night? What the h.e.l.l was that? it was almost like porn.
Yeah buddy! you know those ratings will go thru the roof, talk about MUST SEE TV! good then Jen’s too ugly to be on that, unless she plays the part of the scorned woman who want’s to pay the magazine’s connections to write as much smut as they can about the new couple. she’s been practicing that part for 2 yrs
San Juan Says:
January 3rd, 2007 at 10:45 am
As expected there will be different reactions to this painting. The caption is “blessed art thou” not Saint Angelina.
That’s even Worse!! that’s what we call Jesus’s mother Mary in our “Holy Mary”
prayer [catholics]
the artist isn’t either anti-Jolie or deifying her or anything near it. the spiel about the art suggests it is a social commentary on celebrity worship in general, you know, a visual discussion about people who are obsessed with celebrities like Jolie, and rush to comment on any picture published where she is doing something, even if totally innocuous like sitting in a car. If it weren’t for the paps, would these threads exist? The blog wouldn’t exist and there would be all this spare time to fill. You guys love seeing her doing her UN thing, reifiying her perfection and anyone who disagrees gets nasty comments back. She does great work but I have to say reading some of these comments, it’s a little obsessive in itself.
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