Readers Find Gober’s Artwork of Mary Offensive

Admittedly not the world’s best Catholic, I was still very much offended by the large color photo of the statue of the Virgin Mary pierced by a large bronze culvert (“Articles of Faith for This World,” Sept. 9), an “inescapable image of phallic penetration,” in the review of Robert Gober’s “highly theatrical grotto of sacred and profane love.”

To the millions of us who worship Mary as the Mother of God, this image was even more obscene than would have been the image of one’s natural mother being so unnaturally violated.

Nazi propaganda films may have been very effective in portraying Jews as animals and Salman Rushdie may have been not only within his rights but also very poetic in portraying Muhammed’s wife as a whore, but just because art is well done doesn’t make it good.

As a citizen, writer and painter, I value the 1st Amendment; and because of this fact--not in spite of it--I had best heed the words from the Father of Our Country: “Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.”

DOUGLAS DRENKOW

Arcadia

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Thanks to The Times and to Robert Gober we got to see the image of a defiled Virgin Mary, pierced by a phallic symbol.

I guess The Times was feeling guilty about all the positive news about Jose Rafael Moneo’s new cathedral. But to really give equal time to all views, The Times should feature another artist depicting Robert Gober being burned at the stake for blasphemy. I’m sure you could get plenty of volunteers.

JOHN SAWOSKI

Marina del Rey

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How sad The Times would twice (Aug. 31 and Sept. 9) print the offensive image of the Mother of God pierced by a sewer pipe, while featuring “art critic” Christopher Knight’s unbridled praise of the MOCA exhibition of Robert Gober. What a twisted misrepresentation of art is being displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Art in our city, funded by our taxes and endorsed in two commendatory articles in The Times.

TERRY SEIDLER

Pasadena