Vatican II Peritus Condemns 1960s "Ugly Sacred Art" Phenomena

The Church and Modernistic Art, a book printed in the 1960s by the Wanderer Printing Company, is a fine read.

The author is Monsignor Rudolph G. Bandas, Ph.D, S.T.D., a distinguished peritus (expert) at Vatican Council II.    

According to Msgr. Bandas, our age is witnessing a peculiar outbreak of ugliness in the domain of sacred art.

This ugliness has invaded not only churches, but is also found in Christmas cards, laymen's missals and even in the priests' altar missals.

In this type of sacred art, Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints are represented in sometimes grotesque, even repulsive forms with cretinous faces, and pictured as though they were suffering from elephantiasis, starvation or a deforming arthritis.

This modernistic art seems to concentrate especially on images of Christ.  Contrary to the teaching of the liturgy that Christ "reigned triumphantly" from the cross, and that his glorified body reigns from heaven forever.

The new art often represents Christ, Mary and the saints in an attitude of despair or confusion or even stupidity.  It completely distorts the human figure, ignoring the nobility and divine stature of Christ and all things holy.

In his book, Msgr. Bandas confronts this bogus new art with the age-long and unchanging legislation of the Church.  He was inspired by Celso Cardinal Constantini, who frequently characterized the modernistic productions as "pictorial horrors" and even "visual blasphemies."

Msgr. Bandas delves into the pronouncements of the Church on sacred art as found in the decrees of Ecumenical Councils, of Sacred Congregations and of the Sovereign Pontiffs.

The book includes 75 photographs, illustrating true sacred art vs. ugly sacred art.