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Hot on the heels of the Patrick Jones controversy comes the artist Michael J Browne and his . Browne previously portrayed Eric Cantona in a reworking of Piero della Francesca's Resurrection. In other words, he often subverts well-known Renaissance works by introducing contemporary public figures and celebrities. Browne denies that his new work seeks to portray George Best as a Christ-figure. "George Best had his own human problems in life," says the artist, "but he is ascending in his own way to another existence. That's my image of him as a spiritual being, as an ascension, and he is leaving behind his earthly delights," he added. Browne's painting is currently on display at Salford Art Gallery.

The Bishop of Bolton, Chris Edmundson, many people: 'While many worship George Best on the field, I feel that many people, not just Christians, may find this painting inappropriate. Artists have often tried to portray the life of the Son of God. For those who want to see a genuine attempt at this, I suggest they see the current Holman Hunt exhibition at the Manchester City Art Gallery.'

Michael Browne says his painting was an effort to explore public perceptions of George Best at the time of the former footballer's death. Arguably, Michael Brown is challenging the public's fascination with celebrities and asking us to place their achievements in some proper context: he's provoking us to look, close up, at the ludicrousness of celebrity culture and call into check our society's tendency to divinize people whose claim to fame is an ability to kick a ball. In a sense, Browne is challenging the idolatry of the media age. Has the bishop missed the point?

Here is a short interview with Michael Browne about how he works.