A masked man burst into a church in Carpi (Italy) on Thursday to attack a painting and the artist who created it. The painter Andrea Saltini was stabbed by this man, who criticized him for the blasphemous aspect of his works. He was only slightly injured.
The attack took place Thursday in a church in this Emilia-Romagna town located north of Modena. The diocese of Carpi immediately condemned an “unprecedented act of violence”, which occurred a few days before the Christian holiday of Easter. Since its inauguration in early March, the exhibition entitled “Gratia plena” (full of grace) has sparked controversy within the traditionalist Catholic community.
The ultraconservative anti-abortion association ProVita notably launched an online petition, signed by more than 30,000 people, asking the local Catholic hierarchy to remove the paintings, including one “depicting our Lord Jesus Christ engaging in an obscene sexual act “. ProVita, however, published a press release on Thursday offering its “maximum solidarity” to the artist after this “crazy and unjustifiable attack”.
He wanted to tackle the work
Thursday, the attacker entered with a knife and a can of spray inside the exhibition to damage the painting in question, representing a man seen from behind whose head is leaning on the body of Christ at level of his lower abdomen, which he completely hides. He tried to attack the painting with a knife, but “the artist tried to stop the man, who, while fleeing, slightly injured him,” said a police spokesperson. The injury happened accidentally, “maybe he didn’t even know it was Saltini.”
The diocese had previously rejected accusations of blasphemy, hailing Saltini’s work as a rare example of “true contemporary art with a religious subject.” The paintings are inspired by episodes of the Christian faith, from the Immaculate Conception to the crucifixion of Saint Peter.