Inspiration
Anonymous
Pastels and acrylic on canvas, 24" x 30"

The organ master stares, transfixed by twin mysterious visions; the Neanderthal saint in the setting sun and the Gothic monk proceeding out from the cathedral's sanctum, each framed by a halo of organ pipes, reminiscent of #2 pencils. 

God Omnipresence
Juan Capellon (2010)
Acrylic on canvas, 30” x 24”
Donated by Tish Bickelhaupt
August 2020

This is a heavy-handed reminder that we all must make personal choices.

Spirit in the Sky
Anonymous
Acrylic on art-board, 17" x 13"

The Prince of Peace is depicted on a puffy cumulus cloud. His tiny feet would probably not support his weight on solid ground.

Jesus Rising
Glen Ray Comer (1988)
Paint and foil on glass, 16” x 20”
Donated by Sarah Freeman
August 2018

Our Lady of Perpetual Housework
Buchina
Acrylic on canvas, 20" x 16"
Purchased at a thrift shop in Boston, MA
August, 2016

Fetchingly attractive St. Martha is depicted in recognition of the fact that, in the spiritual as well as the physical realm, a woman’s work is never done.

Papa Nostro
Anonymous
Acrylic on pressboard, 13" x 31"
Purchased at a thrift store in Boston, MA
December 2007

Clearly an homage to the late Pope John Paul II, this painting is not without mysterious imagery. The MOBA research Department has determined that the writing in the upper left corner is the beginning of the Lord's Prayer in Italian ("Our Father who art in heaven"). Unexplained, though, is the unusual lettering and Milk Bone logo in the lower left quadrant. Also unexplained is the significance of the jagged red line that runs horizontally across the image. Some scholars speculate it represents an EKG of the Pope in failing health, while others insist it represents the Dow Jones Industrial Average for the life of "The Great One" (1920-2005).

Pius the Angry
M.J. Penczak
Oil on canvas, 20" x 16"
1990s

It is difficult to determine cause and effect. Did the tight white headband cause the tense, angry brow? Are his crossed eyes caused by, or the cause of his anger? That tight collar isn’t helping.

Pope Benedict XVI
Jane Doyle
Acrylic on canvas board, 24" x 18"
Donated by Cathy Soderquist
July, 2013

Relieved of many awesome responsibilities since his resignation, the late Pope Emeritus appears troubled by relatively minor concerns. Where, for instance, is the papal hairdresser?

Ill Papa
Anonymous
Acrylic and ink on canvas, 11" x 14"
Anonymous donation from Sarasota, FL
September, 2010

Madonna e Bambino
P. Howard (1981)
Oil on canvas, 20" x 16"
Donated by Marlow Harris, Seattle, WA
August 2008

Her high cheekbones, angular features, and graceful hands give Madonna the aura of a high-fashion super-model. The baby bears little resemblance to her, and probably looks like his unidentified father.

Madonna and Child
A. Fontaine
Oil on canvas, 12" x 8"
Purchased at an antique store in Hyde Park, MA
September 1999

This is a work of undisputed tenderness in which the spiritual trumps the physical through careful disregard of details of the human form.

Madonna and Infant
Jane Doyle
Acrylic on canvas board, 24" x 18"
Donated by Cathy Soderquist
July, 2013

Madonna and Baby
Anonymous
38” x 32”, oil on canvas
Purchased in a thrift store in Saugus, MA
and donated by Cindi Chapman
May, 2017

The subject of countless paintings over the centuries, The Holy Mother is particularly beautiful in this rendition. Her baby, not so much.

Madonna with Smile
Anonymous
Felt tip marker on sculpted wood, 6" x 2" x 1.5"
Acquired at a church sale in Boston, MA
1990s

The artist transformed a simple icon into a mysterious yet radiant image with a few quick dashes of the pen.

Mother Mary and Jesus
Mungo
Oil on canvas, 13" x 16"
Purchased at a flea market in Rowley, MA

There is a carelessness in the slapdash technique and the minimalist background, but Mungo's piety and thoughtfulness show through; Christianity's central figures are portrayed in a modern urban setting. The Virgin Mary, in untraditional red garb, waits serenely for a bus with her young son who is inexplicably depicted as a hyperactive simian with a blaze orange Mohawk.

From: Museum of Bad Art: Masterworks, by Michael Frank and Louise Reilly Sacco

Study for Mother Mary and Jesus
Attributed to Mungo
Oil on canvas, 9" x 12"
Salvaged from a curbside trash pile in Boston, MA

In a reversal of the usual process, this study is larger and more carefully rendered than the figure in the final work. The MOBA staff is happy these works have been reunited; they were acquired 27 months and 25 miles apart.

Nativity
Jane Doyle (1998)
Acrylic on canvas board, 24” x 18”
Donated by Cathy Soderquist
June 2013

Given the title the artist wrote on the reverse side of this painting, it would be natural to draw the inference that it depicts Mary, Joseph, and the Baby Jesus.  Some have speculated that a set of grandparents has arrived to give the new parents a well-needed rest.

St. Joseph and the Baby Jesus
B. Goforth
Oil on canvas board, 14" x 10"
Purchased in a thrift shop in San Angelo, TX and donated by Mary Bloodworth
April, 2015

In this variation of a traditional religious motif, Joseph holds the baby but appears unconvinced of the official story of his conception.

Madonna with Floss
Illegible, May, 2005
Acrylic on canvas, 20" x 16"
Purchased at a thrift shop in Boston, MA
February 2013

A modern rendering of a classic theme, featuring the religious icon wearing a sleeveless dress and pushup bra. She seems to have fallen asleep before finishing her dental ablutions.

ALTAR EGO
Anonymous
Oil on canvas, 20" x 14"
1990s

The young man's blond hair, blue eyes, and traditional white surplice suggest an air of innocence as he performs his churchly duties, seemingly oblivious to his menacing shadow; the artist's heavy-handed representation of the scandalous ethical lapses that have plagued some religious institutions.

The Answered Prayer
Anonymous
Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 48"
Rescued from the trash in Berkeley, CA,
and donated by Lisa Von Blanckensee
December 2013

After years of self-denial, the ascetics' prayer was finally answered.

Easter Triptych
J. Rattery
Oil on canvas, 10" x 30"
Won at a church raffle in Medford, MA by his father and donated by Steve Smith along with David Lones
June 2018

The artist combined the conventions of the traditional triptych along with the modern graphic novel to illustrate a fundamental religious narrative.

Torment of the Soul
Anonymous
Acrylic paint on particle board, 28.5" x 22"
Donated by Greg Kenny
1990s

An ochre aura emanates from the young man with the eyes of an exorcist. His rhetoric rushes from white joyless lips. He holds a book in his right hand, while there is only a vague suggestion of a hand at the end of his left arm.

Museum curators  believe this may be a portrait of eclectic Australian musician Nick Cave.

Der Rebbe
Anonymous
Oil on canvas board, 20" x 16"
Purchased at a thrift store in Boston, MA
June 2014

The artist portrays a pious older man whose soft smile and gentle blue eyes suggest a personality as sweet as Maneschewitz Concord Grape Wine.

Today I am a Man
Anonymous
Acrylic in canvas, 14" x 11"
Rescued from the trash in Salem, MA and donated by Harry Bartnick
January 2014

The bar-mitzvah boy sits, anxiously regretting the time he did not devote to memorize the haftorah he is about to chant in front of his family, friends, and invited guests. His feelings of inadequacy are expressed by the see-through wrist revealing the harlequin wallpaper behind, the menacing, disconnected prayer shawl inserting itself into his throat only to inexplicably emerge on his other shoulder, and his withered, insufficient arm and hands. Yet, eyes closed, he contemplates the pleasures of the night ahead at his sports-themed reception.

The Bar Mitzvah
L. Horvath, 1988
Oil on canvas, 18" x 24"
Purchased at a thrift shop in Roslindale, MA
July 2012

The family was appalled to see guests throwing dinner rolls and grapes when a food fight broke out at what was supposed to be a joyous occasion.

This was clearly inspired by Rembrandt's BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST which depicts a story from the Book of Daniel. Belshazzar, a Babylonian king, had a feast in which he used goblets and silverware that had originally been stolen from the Temple by his father Nebuchadnezzar. A mysterious hand appeared, writing something that was undecipherable to anyone but Daniel because the words were written vertically rather than right to left. Belshazzar died the next day because he could not read the handwriting on the wall.

Belshazzar's Feast
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rihn, (ca.1635-3
The National Gallery, London

Pieta and Feather Duster
Phyllis Beinart
Oil on canvas, 24" x 36"
Donated by the artist
December 2017

La Pieta
Michelangelo
St. Peters Cathedral, Vatican City

Belshazzar's Feast
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rihn, (ca.1635-3
The National Gallery, London

Sacrifice for Judith
Phyllis Beinart
Oil on canvas, 24' x 36"
Donated by the artist
December 2017

The artist combined images from various religious traditions in this painting.

It is difficult to comprehend the significance of the dominos on the putting green behind Judith on the half shell.

Medusa Applies Lipstick
M. Conroy
Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 20"
Purchased at a thrift store in Boston, MA
October 2022

Realizing she couldn’t do a thing with her hair, Medusa thought some eye makeup and lipstick would improve her look.

Medusa in the Jungle
David Corcoran (1990)
Oil on canvas, 28.5" x 23.5
Donated by the artist
February 2024

Medusa was a beautiful woman who was cursed by Athena to become grotesque and possess the ability turn people to stone with her simple glance. Since it is dangerous to look into her eyes, it is auspicious that this portrait of Medusa is replete with rich imagery such as the translucent snakes coiled on her arm, her inverted kneecap, and her manly left foot.

REMEMBER - DO NOT LOOK INTO HER E...

Medusa Fries Fish
Christine House
Oil on canvas, 42" x 36"
Donated by the artist

The preoccupied goddess downshifts as she ignores the symbolic swirl, the beckoning sky, and the flames licking her skirt; she has bigger fish to fry.

Doesth Seekeeth the Level or Reminoeth Nay
Illegible
Oil on pressboard, 25" x 34"
Found in a dumpster in the late 1970s in Los Angeles, CA by Nicole Panter and
Donated at a MOBA event in Santa Fe, NM by Ciel Bergman
March 2009

Jesus is depicted calmly overseeing, and perhaps offering his blessing to, a violent geological event that may represent the oft-predicted sliding of California into the Pacific Ocean.

The title of this work is carved into the frame, as are the words "WISDOM" and "NOWLEDGE". This highfaluting language, replete with misspellings, may be purposeful or, along with the mathematical fractions, that inaccurately divide the image, simply the representational equivalent of “speaking in tongues.”

Light Most Blest
Barbara Sciarappa, 1975
Oil on canvas, 28" x 22"
Purchased at the Antique Fair in Brimfield, MA
May, 2010

March Madness
Adam Leveille (1996)
Oil on canvas, 16" x 20"
Purchased at a thrift store in Boston, MA,
May 2006

In like a lion, out like a lamb; the glorious thrill of victory and the deathlike agony of defeat are portrayed with imagery borrowed from the Book of Revelation in this homage to the annual spring classic.


Commentary by Guest Interpretator Allen Hickerson:

The imagery is all from the book of Revelation. In the middle is half-lamb/half lion, representing Jesus, who is the "Lamb of God" and also is described as the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah." He seems to be wrapped in purple cloth, symbolic of royalty. This probably stems from the lamb/lion depicted in Revelation as seated on a throne.

Additionally, we see a scroll unfurled--probably the "Book of Life"; the "Seventh Seal," numbered with the Roman numeral VII; and the victorious rider on the white horse with sword extended--another image of Jesus.

The rest is a bit of a mystery. In the upper right portion of the picture is a broken pillar. This may be meant as a reference to the fall of the Roman Empire, or all world empires in general. In the lower left corner are bones, or at least a skull. This may have been a symbolic attempt at depicting the ultimate destruction of death.

Devil or Angel
Anonymous
Oil on canvas, 32" x 24"
Purchased at a thrift store in Boston, MA
May, 2007

"Devil or angel, dear whichever you are, I love you, I love you, I love you."

Music and lyrics by Blanche Carter
Recorded by The Clovers (1955) and Bobby Vee (1957)

Kali at the Beach
L. J. H.
16" x 12", oil on canvas
Donated by the artist
mid 1990s

The ten-armed icon rocks a red bikini as she hits the beach with her umbrella, blanket, cooler, and portable radio. Life is good.

Temptation
Mr. Sernies
Oil on canvas board, 20" x 16"
Provenance unknown

Alien Adam and Eve
Katherine Somerville Howorth Bouman
Oil on canvas, 40" x 18"
Donated by the artist
June, 2006

— Text by the artist
“I’m an atheist, so I depicted Adam and Eve as purple aliens. I put them in a landscaped garden; a comment on today’s suburban paradise and the Garden of Eden. The viewer looks out a kitchen window to see Adam and Eve picking apples in the manicured backyard, with an apple pie cooling on the window ledge. Did the aliens bake the pie? Did the viewer? What does it mean to bake and eat a pie made from a symbol of knowledge?”
—Response from MOBA Curator-in-Chief
“Mmm . . . I love apple pie.” 

Alien Madonna

Eastern Thought
J.M. Kammlott (1974)
Acrylic on canvas, 16” x 16”
Purchased at a thrift shop in Boston, MA
January 2015

A diminutive monk casts an ominous shadow as he meditates in front of a shan shui painting featuring faux Chinese characters and a large vase holding bamboo cuttings. The custom bamboo frame surrounds only three sides of the canvas to reveal the artist’s signature.

Excellence
Anonymous
Oil on canvas, 32" x 26"
Anonymous donation

The artist graphically illustrates his or her belief in either natural selection or intelligent design. A few more words of explanation may have helped communicate his or her intent.

Unorthodox
KcK (2007)
Oil on canvas, 16"x16”
Purchased at a thrift store in Boston, MA
June 2009

The painting's playful Russo-Turkish-Coney Island vortex has seemingly little to do with its surface mock Orthodox Stalinism, yet these subtle attributes reward extended, repeated viewings.

Guest Interpretator: Matthew Thompson, Dungog, NSW, Australia.

The Damned Guy
Clarence Leroy Hinds (1970)
Oil on canvas board, 24” x 14”
Heirloom shared by the Weiner and Heller families and donated by Neil Weiner
May 2022


This is a copy of The Damned Man, one of the hundreds of figures who realizes he has been condemned to spend eternity in Hell in Michelangelo’s fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel - The Last Judgement of Christ.

The Damned Man
Michelangelo (1536-1541)
Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

The artist sought to improve upon Michelangelo’s masterpiece by clothing him in a green Speedo and adding a disembodied eyeball over his right shoulder spewing what appears to be toxic slime.