St. John The Baptist, 1998-2001, recalls Serrano's earlier series of works involving sculptural subject matter, as well as the series The Church from 1991. It is a simple image, a collection of ancient objects all of which show a great amount of history and time passing. As a corner of the artist's studio, it also functions as a partial self-portrait in that it gives an idea of Serrano's interest in natural history and the history of art. In a slightly less formal style, we are invited to make connections between more than one object in the image, including the lamb in the saint's arm and the animal sculls above his head. The addition of light to the object brings an interior glow to the warm brown of the wood, which the statue is made of, and a jewel-like brightness to the blue background and colored glass of the lamp. The religious nature of the objects is also accentuated. Since the initial controversy over Serrano's exhibition of Piss Christ, 1989, at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, DC, his importance and notoriety have grown, and recent series have included The Morgue and The Interpretation of Dreams, both series as provocative and elegant as his earliest works.