Shrines and Such
Religious Art at the Desrosiers’ Household
The other day this showed up on our deck: a little shrine for what is known as Bambino di Prague, made in Italy, or so my Czech friend informed me. She had been languishing in the garage, a little worse for wear, and apparently Ronald thought he would make her a shrine while puttering around out there. Normal, right? This reminded me of my absolute amazement upon first experiencing Catholic imagery when I traveled to Woonsocket and met Ronald’s parents.
In northern Wisconsin, where I grew up, everyone was Nordic or German, Lutheran churches dominated, bratwurst and polka weddings were the norm, and I had only ever met one Catholic girl in school and she was considered a “minority”! My own parents spurned religion entirely so I hadn’t even rudimentary knowledge of the Bible, much less the visually graphic and emotionally wrought imagery in a Catholic church, where Latin and French and swinging incense added to the foreignness of it all, amidst the indecipherable kneeling, standing, chanting, and ritual. It made an impression!
Over the years I observed it with interest. My father-in-law made hundreds of birdhouses and some of them were churches like this weathered old one in our garden. There was an assumption that any community, even birds, would require a church! Not a world view I had ever known! My mother-in-law gifted to me the piece of classic Franco-American folk art, God Bless Our Home, made with crumpled tin foil behind painted glass complete with a heart wrapped in barbed wire dripping blood while radiating mystical energy. I thought it was macabre but fascinating. Later, I made some assemblage boxes and I dedicated one to her by including her rosary and a rose petal, still with some color after all these years. I used the crinkled foil technique. It hangs in my home and reminds me of her, Woonsocket, walks to Precious Blood Cemetery to visit vaults of ancestors with bizarre French names like Zeno or Napoleon, and the childhood of Ronald, so different from my own.
My second child had an obsessive interest in ancient religions at a very early age. He loved any and all stories and wanted to believe in all the Gods. He sketched his way through Mass when he visited and attended church with my husband and father-in-law. It was the only way to keep him on the pew. In first grade a lot of this Catholic imagery would show up in his constant drawing. Usually he would get stuck on a theme, such as leprechauns, penguins (pre-penguin mania), easter chicks, monks, pirates, restaurant waiters, and these would be drawn constantly for several months, eventually merging in some hilarious combinations. His school folder for first grade started with the crucifixion of a beatific penguin, flanked by symmetrical robed worshippers. Then the Pantheon of Greek Gods became penguins, with Thor-Penguin in his cloud kingdom receiving a chalice (the Holy Grail) while hurling down thunderbolts. Imagery from the very old local graveyards appears here with winged skulls. Inside the folder the Statue of Liberty became a penguin holding the Constitution at Ellis Island, overseeing industry and immigrants hoping to come home to picket fenced yards and self improvement through education. Such is the religious art at the Desrosiers’ household!
