Anti-clerical art is a genre of art portraying clergy, especially Roman Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 clergy, in unflattering contexts. It was especially popular in France during the second half of the 19th century, at a time that the anti-clerical message suited the prevailing political mood. Typical paintings show cardinals

Cardinal (Catholicism)

A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...

 in their bright red robes engaging in unseemly activities within their lavish private quarters.

Nineteenth and early twentieth century artists known for their anti-clerical art include Francesco Brunery

Francesco Brunery

Francesco Brunery , also known as Frappachino Brunson and as François Bruneri, was an Italian academic painter. He was born in Turin, Italy and studied with Jean-Léon Gérôme and Léon Bonnat. Brunery received an honorable mention at the Paris Salon of 1903...

, Georges Croegaert

Georges Croegaert

Georges Croegaert was a Belgian academic painter. He was born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1848, and spent most of his life in Paris. Croegaert is associated with both classicism and anti-clerical art.-References:...

, Charles Édouard Delort

Charles Édouard Delort

Charles Édouard Delort was a French academic painter who was born in Nimes, France on February 4, 1841. He grew up in the area around Bordeaux, and entered the naval Academy at 12 years of age. In 1859, he moved to Paris, where he studied with Jean-Léon Gérôme and with Marc-Charles-Gabriel Gleyre...

, Jehan Georges Vibert

Jehan Georges Vibert

Jehan Georges Vibert was a French academic painter.-Biography:He was born in Paris. He began his artistic training at a young age under the instruction of his maternal grandfather, engraver Jean-Pierre-Marie Jazet...

, and Eduardo Zamacois y Zabala

Eduardo Zamacois y Zabala

Eduardo Zamacois y Zabala was a Spanish academic painter who was born in Bilbao, Spain in 1841 or 1842. He moved to Madrid in 1859, where he enrolled in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and studied with Federico de Madrazo. In 1860, he studied in Paris with Jean-Louis-Ernest...

. Masami Teraoka

Masami Teraoka

Masami Teraoka is a Japanese-American contemporary artist. His work includes ukiyo-e-influced woodcuts and paintings.-Life:Teraoka was born in the town of Onomichi in Hiroshima prefecture. He studied from 1954-59 at the Kwansei Gakuin University in Kobe, Japan where he received his B.A. in...

is among the contemporary painters producing anti-clerical art.