{J.C.}

Joe Coleman’s “Rest in Pieces” certainly allowed me to get a sense of his world growing up. The documentary had me convinced that Coleman had a legitimate reason and source for inspiration for creating his infamous color plates. However, the last scene of “Rest in Pieces” confused me completely, as Coleman ultimately revealed the causes behind his works.

The final scene depicts Coleman as if he is a priest holding a sermon in a Christian church. The scene occurs in a dark entry, with Coleman palming lit candles and placing them one by one next to each other. He then speaks and says that the current troubles in the world signify that now is a time of death, rather than birth. People have to learn to live with the idea that death is forthcoming. In a bizarre finale, Coleman mentions that his initials are “J.C.” which represents that he is not only Christ, but a representation of the anti-Christ as well.

I simply didn’t understand how Coleman could justify the fact that now was the time of death rather than previous time periods. The medieval empires are known as the “Dark Ages” for all the war and troubles that occurred. Diseases were more rampant, religious tolerance was not accepted, and equal rights were not allowed. If we are in a time of death now, where war is less prolific and diseases are more controllable, then what did the medieval days represent?

Coleman’s comparison of himself to Jesus Christ is quite flawed and the justification for his thoughts is illegitimate. I view Christ as a figure who was able to spread his word from the God through a minority of individuals. These people saw the power Christ had, and were thus able to believe his words. Coleman does not have the power to attract followers like Christ did, and his images induce more of an atrocious response than a religious analysis.

In my opinion, the only thing that J.C. could stand for is “Just Crazy.”