Blood and Bodily Fluids

The use of blood and bodily fluids in art was a symbol of religious ideology. Blood was sacred and was only to be used in that context. For example, Jesus’s blood is believed to be a wine and is drunk in communion by Christians, who believe it will lead them towards eternal life (Freeland, 2003). Blood was used as a ritual in paintings to express their religious beliefs or to depict events that happened. Freeland explains, “Renaissance paintings showed the blood or lopped heads of martyrs; Shakespeare’s tragedies typically concluded with swordplay and stabbings” (pg.12, 2003).

The idea of blood and bodily fluids in modern art can be seen through a shock factor in performance art. Freeland states, “For participants in a ritual, clarity, and agreement of purpose are central; the ritual reinforces the community’s proper relation to God or nature through gestures that everyone knows and understands. But audiences who see and react to a modern artist do not enter in with shared beliefs and values, or with prior knowledge of what will transpire” (pg. 12, 2003). This leads to the audience becoming unsettled in modern art when entering without context. For example, Ron Athey, in a performance piece, cut the skin of another individual on stage and hung the bloody paper towels over the audience. It created panic amongst the crowd. Blood is now seen as a way to get people's attention to political or societal issues and topics. Artists use blood to stand out and become known for controversy.

Freeland, C. (2003). Art Theory. Oxford University Press Academic UK. https://tiffin-bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780191579325