The Controversy
sexuality in religious art - now and in renaissance

Many contemporary artist mix religious symbols and imagery into their works, combining them freely with secular, mundane ones (utylity objects, pop culture icons and such). Such works more often than not spark controversy among the general public, especially in Poland. But there's nothing to cause bigger outcry than a coegsistence of sexual and religious theme in the same context.

But it wasn't always so. Our speaker, Grażyna, being an art historian, presented us with an array of Renaissance paintings and sculptures of Biblical themes that were full of nudity. Most notable were images of Jesus, which accentuated His maleness - a visual arguments in teological debate on nature of Christ that was going on at the time.

Our participants were quite suprised to learn that such portrayals were common at certain point in church history. However they were quick to add that these were far less schocking than modern attempts at putting sexual and religious into the same work of art like - for example -Nieznalska's "Passion."

We were then asked why is that exactly? Partially because a painting is far less realistic to us than a photograph, and thus less explicit. We have to remember however that for the people living during Renaissance this was probably most realistic, and they - having far less exposure to visual stimuli - had to find them much more sexual than we do. Yet they seem to have been all right with naked figures of Christ, at least up to the council of Trident which turned a moral tide.
Also we have been trained to see old style nude painting as "art" and not "act." It's been presented to as, from the moment we are children at school, as a composition of light and shadow, fine brush stokes and delicate pigments - and not as a picture of a naked body.

We also expect from the contemporary, modern artists to try and shock us. If they use sexual and religious symbols, or images, side by side, it's probably to stirr controversy only. Many probably are doing just that, but it is also true that often they simply ofshoot theyr mark. They create a piece that can have various and multilayered interpretations - for fellow artists, critics and conossieurs, and only single and crude one - in the eyes of the general public.

Are we all post-Tridental? Are most contemporary artists just hoaxes? Or are we out of tune with modern art language and see offense where there's hardly one? Share your toughts.

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