NOT JESUS, BUT MUSCLE

I find Boris Vallejo's painting of bodybuilder Jesus hilarious.  

It's hard to imagine a picture more clueless about who Jesus was, what he stood for, the significance of the cross, or the principles of the New Testament. Its temptation-- to worship something with bulging muscles-- is understandable but its dumbnicity is comical.

There is a long tradition of imperial art that serves as a tool for the glorification of imperial dictators. The ancient Egyptians or imperial Romans at the height of their power well understood how to use monumental sculptures and triumphal arches.  They erected powerful columns which stood tall as a not so subtle symbol of their potency. The statue of Ramesses II, Trajan's column-- these artists understood power. The Romans left us many flattering statues of their emperors.

But if a Roman artist ever tried to sculpt the emperor with fake muscles popping out like a sack of potatoes, the plebeian crowds would've rolled on the ground laughing. The Roman public was not that stupid and the Roman emperors were not that shameless.