It is a question if the last two really belong to the
controversy series: they are
more like attacks
upon the scribes than
controversies with them, and the question of the Davidic sonship seems
more like a debate within the church than a
controversy with the scribes, though its form reminds us of number 8:
To a lesser extent, the term «
controversy» also relates to Ofili's notoriety as an artist known, or remembered, for regularly (and some might say «irreverently») fixing dried orbs of elephant dung to canvases, as well as positioning them as spherical stands
upon which works are placed to transform them from two - dimensional artworks into
more complex three - dimensional mixed - media sculptures (adding to its potentially troublesome qualities, The Holy Virgin Mary utilized both techniques).