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Too pretty? Easter poster depicting a handsome, fresh-faced Jesus prompts criticism in Spain
A poster in the southern Spanish city of Seville that depicts a young, handsome Jesus wearing only a loincloth has unleashed a storm on social media, with some calling it an affront to the figure of Christ and others posting lewd remarks and memes poking fun at the image.
The poster by internationally recognized Seville artist Salustiano García Cruz shows a fresh-faced Jesus without a crown of thorns, no suffering face and minuscule wounds on the hands and ribcage. It was commissioned and approved by the General Council of Brotherhoods, which organizes the renowned and immensely popular Holy Week processions ahead of Easter in Seville.
As soon as it was unveiled last week criticism of it went viral on social media and a debate erupted over how a resurrected Christ should be depicted. Many called it a disgrace, inappropriate, too pretty, modernist and out of line with Seville’s Easter tradition.
Spain is predominantly Catholic and church traditions such as marriage, baptisms and religious parades are immensely popular both among believers and nonbelievers. A campaign on Change.org to have the poster of Jesus withdrawn was signed by some 14,000 people from around the country.
The artist, García, defended the work and dismissed the poster’s critics as old fashioned.
“There is nothing revolutionary in the painting, ” García told Atlas news agency. “There is contemporaneity, but all the elements that I have used are elements that have been used in the last seven centuries in sacred art.
“I don’t see at what point, at what element, people who don’t like it don’t like it,” he said.
In another interview published by El Mundo daily, Garcia responded to criticism from conservative groups that the depiction of Jesus was “effeminate” or “homoerotic.”
“A gay Christ because he looks sweet and is handsome, come on! We are in the 21st century,” García said.
The artist said he used his son, Horacio, as the model for the poster.
“It caught us a little more by surprise because everything was done with respect,” Horacio Garcia told Atlas.
“A lot of controversy comes from the fact that the model is too good, the Christ too handsome, too attractive,” he said. But it hasn’t been all bad: Horacio Garcia said he also has received many compliments and good wishes from people.
The General Council of Brotherhoods has so far ignored calls to replace the poster before Holy Week at the end of March. In past years, some posters for different Catholic celebrations were withdrawn following criticism.
Seville Mayor José Luis Sanz labeled the controversy “artificial.”
“I like the poster,” he said, adding that not all Holy Week posters can be the same each year. “Some posters are riskier, some more classical, some are more daring.”
注释：
loincloth: n
表示" 缠腰布"，means "a garment that provides covering for the loins"，如：The warrior wears a head dress and a red loincloth. 这位勇士头戴饰物，身上戴着红色缠腰带。
lewd: adj
表示" 淫荡的"，means "driven by lust; preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires"，如：He gave her a lewd wink. 他淫荡地对她眨了一下眼。
meme: n
表示"模因"，如：Nature is also a "meme bank," an idea factory. 自然同样是一个“文化基因库”，是一个创意工厂。
resurrect: v
表示" 使复活"，means "cause to become alive again"，如：It is said that this medicine can resurrect the dead. 据说这种药能起死回生。
baptisms: n
表示"洗礼"，means "a Christian sacrament signifying spiritual cleansing and rebirth"，如：Under the strength of that spiritual baptism, power is available for complete sanctification. 在圣灵施洗的力量下，可以获得全然成圣的能力。
contemporaneity: n
表示" 同时代"，means "the quality of being current or of the present"，如：Acton's thought of history exceded any historian's in his contemporaneity. 他的思想超越了同时代的史家。
effeminate: adj
表示" 女人气的；柔弱的"，means "having unsuitable feminine qualities"，如：He has an effeminate manner. 他的举止像女人。
homoerotic: adj
表示" 同性恋的"，means "of or concerning homosexual love"，如：What about the after-hours highly homoerotic activities - indulging in football threesomes and roastings? 如何对待终场之后那些充满同性恋意味的庆祝活动？
中文简要说明：
西班牙即将在3月底迎来圣周（Holy Week），众多教徒满心期待之际，却因为一张宣传海报引起轩然大波。原来是南部大城塞维亚（Seville）所设计的一幅耶稣像，画中呈现了一位相貌英俊、体格健美的耶稣，下半身只用一小条白布遮掩，看起来十分性感，引发当地民众正反两极的讨论，至今已有超过1万4千人联署要求撤下海报。
美联社报导，这张海报由国际知名的塞维亚艺术家克鲁兹（Salustiano García Cruz）所设计，画中的耶稣面貌清秀，没有荆棘冠冕，也没有痛苦的表情，双手和肋骨上只有微小的伤口，与传统的耶稣受难像大相径庭。
果不其然，海报上周曝光后，立刻就在社群媒体上引发论战。反对民众批评画中的耶稣不够庄重、太漂亮，与塞维亚的复活节传统格格不入。也有人称这是对基督形象的侮辱，甚至制作梗图、用下流的言语加以嘲笑。
克鲁兹表示，他以自己的儿子作为海报的模特儿，并为作品辩护，称批评者是老古董：「这幅画一点也不前卫。它有当代感，但所有的元素都在过去7个世纪的宗教艺术中出现过。」
在西班牙《世界报》刊登的另一篇评论中，克鲁兹响应保守团体的批评：「一个同性恋基督，因为他看起来甜美、英俊，拜托！我们已经进入21世纪了！」
尽管饱受批评，主办塞维亚「圣周」活动的兄弟会总理事会（General Council of Brotherhoods）却没有打算撤下海报。塞维亚市长桑斯（José Luis Sanz）也表示「我喜欢这张海报」，强调并不是每一年的圣周海报都长得一样，「有些海报更冒险，有些则比较经典，也有海报风格较为大胆。」
西班牙人以信奉天主教为主，结婚、受洗和宗教游行等教会传统广受民众喜爱。自海报曝光以来，全国各地已有约1万4千位民众人联署要求撤下海报。
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