Thursday, November 10, 2011

The Devil in the Mural: Jerry Sandunsky, Penn State, and Giotto


Of all the surreal moments in the Penn State sex scandal surrounding the actions of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, the most surreal for me was watching on a live newscast an artist painting over Sandusky’s image on a mural honoring members of the Penn State community (shown above, in mid-cover-up). The paint was barely dry before the university trustees fired iconic head football coach Joe Paterno for his actions (or inaction) related to the scandal. As I watched Sandusky’s smiling face slip into obscurity, I recalled the recent discovery of a devil’s face hidden in a 13th century mural by Giotto. Here was a strange crossroads of sorts—one devil being hidden, another being rediscovered. It’s not art imitating life, but, instead, life and art telling us something about each other. Please come over to Picture This at Big Think to read more of "The Devil in the Mural: Jerry Sandunsky, Penn State, and Giotto."

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