Art, throughout the times have reflected, promoted and challenged the cultural beliefs of many different societies. To reflect a culture or society the artwork must create or suggest a particular impression of that era. To promote the cultural beliefs of a society the artwork must encourage and support the beliefs. For the artwork to challenge the beliefs it must question tradition. Gislebertus and Michelangelo promote and reflected the society and religion in which they belonged whereas Kruger and Serrano reflected yet challenged their society and religion.

Gislebertus was a "sculptor of genius" of the Romanesque period. His sculpture of the last Judgement in progress on the West Tympanum of St. Lazare, Autun, France in 1130, reflected and promoted the strong Christian beliefs of this society. This artwork is extremely detailed and reveals many Christian icons and symbols. In the middle of the artwork is Christ, who is the focus of the composition and on either side of him are devils and angles blowing their trumpets. The weighing of souls is depicted throughout the artwork and next to each scale, are angles and devils competing for each soul.

Serrano is another post modernist artist who challenges and reflects our modern day society through art. Serrano's work, Piss Christ, is a colour photograph of a statuette of the saviour on a cross, submerged in his own urine that produced a resplendent light. The use of urine, which is considered to be at the bottom of the hierarchy of body fluids, was highly controversial and tests public tolerance and challenges the government's commitment to freedom of speech. Piss Christ also questions the public reverence for art, not religion. The authority of the Roman Catholic Church in our present day is also challenged and it highlights the fact that the Church has little power over the people in today's society. This is displayed through Serrano's figure of Christ as it is a tawdry, mass produced statuette motivated by work-for-pay, not devotion. This factory-produced crucifix represents the deterioration of religious sentiments. It alerts the populace to the difference between true devotion and superficial expressions of faith. Serrano challenges and reflects the diminishing influence the church has on society today by condemning the condemned.

In conclusion, art has had a major influence on reflecting, promoting or challenging traditional cultural beliefs over many different eras. This trend will continue over the years as society changes and artists like Gislebertus, Michelangelo, Kruger and Serrano will force society to look at there culture in a more detail and question there own beliefs.

Below Christ are the dead rising, one being "plucked" from the earth by giant hands. Here humanity's pitiful weakness in revealed in these te

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