When did it become acceptable for sculptors to display their nudes in places of worship?

We in North America have always seemed to be a bit backwards from a societal maturity standpoint, frowning on clothing optional beaches, only recently granting women the right to march around topless, even adding ratings to our television programming so as to shield young eyes from what is seen as just obscene.

There was a time when considering something to be obscene…just wasn’t that bad.  Life sized forms displaying full genitalia dangling over some inscription was normal to commemorate some  historical event, or translate those stories of mythical gods into a form easily absorbed by the general public.  Women and nymphs with exposed breasts, nipply I might add, were also part of the norm…with some pieces considered more artful and displayable than other pieces.  We’re not just talking public spaces such as fountains, but also in places of worship and crypts.  I think my crypt should also be adorned with marble statues of bare breasted women, but I don’t think Melanie has that in any budget for burying any remains scooped up off the sidewalk after that bus wipes me out.  Nowadays if I put that request into my will, that crypt on the hill would likely be defaced in a heartbeat.

I am thinking back to a time some 600 years ago when Michelangelo, at the distinguished and mature age of 26, whipped up this David character out of a block of half-finished marble that was abandoned in a church workshop.  Two years he spent crafting this 13ft high form, with oversized head and hands, and he didn’t stop his detailing when it came to his junk.  Sure enough everything is right there, looking you in the eye as you stand in front of the masterpiece.  He got paid for the job, and no one seemed to stop him for being too graphic.

And to go back even further, Pompeii apparently was abundant not only in nudes…but erotic art and toys.  Naples has a Secret Museum of where many objects requiring a little censorship for the times, are displayed for those willing to enter.  Now note that Pompeii was buried in 79 A.D. which puts it well before Michelangelo put any chisel to granite.  So when did we get so damn uptight?  TV evangelism wasn’t big until the 1980’s.  VHS tapes for rent also weren’t available until around then, forcing most ‘alternative’ entertainment to be displayed under brown paper wrappers on the back row of the magazine display.

Apparently it was the 18th century that things seemed to change.  Government and lawyers got involved as the line between sexually suggestive and nudity became blurred.  The few squeaky wheels seemed to fuel more rules and regulations leading us to where we are today.  The artifacts of Pompeii were uncovered a century later, and even then were promptly painted over to prevent such visuals from permeating the minds of the public.  Maybe not accepted by everyone though, as there was a little graffiti scribed on a wall at the site of the ruins…maybe before destruction or a little afterwards…with the words ‘Sodom and Gommorah’.

It’s only nudity, which really is something that we all have…and only a few choose to flaunt, yet we all seem to enjoy within the confines of our own households.  How that nudity is perceived should really just be up to us.  Clothes are required to keep a little of the heat in, and for those of us that feel the natural form may lack a little style and uniqueness, maybe a hat or sweater vest to attract a little more attention.  It’s interesting how the addition of clothes makes us more comfortable, yet in many cases it’s the exposure of more skin that attracts more attention.  Even now, I couldn’t bear to write this with pants on.