2/5/03

Chapmans again

The 'Rape of Goya' might be called a curatorial wheeze. In the commodification of bad taste, this peculiar show must take the prix. However, certain elements of this apparent despoliation of Goya, by damaging posthumous etchings of the master in a creatively inspired manner, demand further examination. In this period of religious fundamentalism, isn't Goya's original anti-clericalism, as depicted in the case of the priests, wholly relevant today and best left untouched? Clowns replacing priests don't enhance the meaning, even as applied with consummate graphic skill by the Chapmans.