Miracle of the Surfing Madonna

Surfing Madonna mural in San Diego, CA.

This story caught my eye today and I couldn't resist sharing it with ALL of my friends and beloved family members who follow my blog (HAHAHA). It combines a sense of humor, art, beauty, and subversion.

If you google "Surfing Madonna San Diego" (either the web, news, or images) you can probably find a number of articles and pictures. Basically, the story is: in April, just before Easter, a group of artists disguised as hard hatted construction workers installed a mural under a railroad bridge in San Diego. 

The mural depicts a Madonna-like figure riding a surf board with the words "Save the Ocean" at the left side. The problem is that according to city regulations it is considered graffiti and needs to be removed. However, due to its high artistic quality and its mysterious appearance, it has become something of a tourist attraction.

And today, it has been reported that the mural is quite secured to the wall and it will take a miracle to remove it. This is really upsetting those who think that if the city leaves it up, all kinds of graffiti will propagate. On the religious side are those that think the city is promoting religion if it leaves the mural in place and then there are the conservatives who see it as blasphemous.

As you can see from the above picture and detail, the artwork is exquisite. The LA Times has a nice article dated May 9, 2011 titled "A Surfing Madonna appears in San Diego." Click on the pictures there to see high def details.

Check it out and let me know what you think.