Grotesque?????

Question

----and 20th century popular culture?

This idea is stemming from the use of gargoyles in the middle age architecture, to represent evil or to simply make satirical comments on daily life. Any parallels you can think from the recent past?

if you want- WHY did people use gargoyles, and why is the grotesque useful today?

Answer 1

people used gargoyles as a magic defense against demons and other evil forces.  The idea is the statue is the "host" of another spirit or demon and they therefore can ward off evil spirits or evil doers.  

Even on churches, the "white magic" of the church was used in this way (blessing the gargoyles with protecting powers, etc)

the grotesque is useful today as a crowd control - if you aren't good, this can happen to you, etc.  as in "I know what you did last summer", etc.  Many other uses, but crowd control is probably top of my list

Answer 2

The opposite is the idea of unicorns as wonderful, spiritual beings. Look at it's origins,and see how the belief about it has changed.

Answer 3

Again??

Answer 4

According to legend, the city of Rouen was under attack by a dragon called La Gargouille. The dragon was dispatched by St. Romanus and  it's body was burned. The neck and head however wouldn't burn, and the townspeople had it placed on top of a building as a warning to other dragons. That is supposedly how gargoyles came to be used.  Most of the use of gargoyles in architecture was during the 12th to the 14th century.