Depictions of Jesus have always been controversial. Seville’s Holy Week poster is no exception

Can a ‘sexy’ poster of Christ serve as a good invitation to church? Or does the furore that has surrounded it say more about our relationship with our body than the artist’s actual intention?

A storm has broken out across the Spanish city of Seville over a new painting of the risen Jesus commissioned by the Roman Catholic diocese. Designed as a poster to invite people to church over Easter, the depiction has angered conservative Christians and the political right, who claim the image is homoerotic and inappropriate. Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for it to be withdrawn.

Living in an image-drenched age, and one that values bodily perfection, it is unsurprising that this new painting is attracting attention. The figure of Jesus, smooth chested and with a touch of muscle definition, is the on-trend look many men currently aspire to. That the painting has been described as “effeminate” underlines that this is metrosexual manmade flesh.