Artist Turns Angelina Jolie Into Virgin Mary for New Masterpiece  1/6/07

Angelina Jolie has been turned into the Virgin Mary in a controversial new painting by artist Kate Kretz.

The actress and humanitarian is depicted as the mother of Jesus Christ, while her adopted kids Maddox and Zahara and biological baby Shiloh feature as angels in the piece, titled Blessed Art Thou - a line taken from the Catholic prayer Hail Mary.

The painting, which will be unveiled at the Art Miami Fair on Friday (05JAN06), addresses "the cycle of celebrity worship" and depicts Jolie in a flowing gown hovering in the clouds above a dimly-lit shopping store, populated by shoppers.

Kretz, who spent five months creating the painting, says, "Our culture is deifying celebrities, but, in The Bible, it is the meek who are blessed, so the title presents a question for the viewer to ponder.

"Angelina Jolie was chosen as the subject because of her unavoidable presence in the media, the world-wide anticipation of her child, her unattainable beauty and the good that she is doing in the world through her example, which adds another layer to the already complicated questions surrounding her status."

Kretz, a former professor, reveals her virgin (Jolie) and Zahara figures are loosely based on a painting by Sir Anthony Van Dyck, while Maddox's pose is borrowed from a painting by Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael.