Fabulous painting. That title!
Gustave Courbet’s ‘Origin of the World’, 19th Century’s most notorious painting
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Re: Gustave Courbet’s ‘Origin of the World’, 19th Century’s most notorious painting
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
This was painted 154 years ago. I wonder if in another 154 years, in 2174, we'll still need cautionary labels on images of genitalia. Or if we may have matured a little by then (if we survive). I wouldn't bet on it.
In this case mature just implies being desensitized to seeing genitalia. I don’t know if that’s better than maintaining a healthy “lust” for the world around you especially in light of the fact that the world doesn’t offer infinite novelty. Everything in moderation?
>In this case mature just implies being desensitized to seeing genitalia.
Maturity in this case implies being able to contextualise nudity.
Particularly in American culture this always seems to come up. photographs of a naked child in a bathtub being scandalous, a father kissing his son, censoring images of a breastfeeding woman and so on.
In my country mixed saunas and nude beaches are a big thing and I've met a lot of people in particular from the US who always seem to think this is in some way sexually creepy. There's nothing more natural than the naked body and genitalia, we all got some. I don't understand how a culture that isn't in some way repressed has to associate every naked body with 'lust'.
Re: Gustave Courbet’s ‘Origin of the World’, 19th Century’s most notorious painting
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
In this case mature just implies being desensitized to seeing genitalia. I don’t know if that’s better than maintaining a healthy “lust” for the world around you especially in light of the fact that the world doesn’t offer infinite novelty. Everything in moderation?
>In this case mature just implies being desensitized to seeing genitalia. Maturity in this case implies being able to contextualise nudity. Particularly in American culture this always seems to come up. photographs of a naked child in a bathtub being scandalous, a father kissing his son, censoring images of a breastfeeding woman and so on. In my country mixed saunas and nude beaches are a big thing and I've met a lot…
Many, if not most, cultures outside of Europe are touchy about nudity. Europe is not the forefront of ethical civilization.
You’d think after the 19th century and colonialism, Europeans would be a little less eager to condemn the rest of the world as ethically behind. Alas...your sentiment is an all too common one.
Re: Gustave Courbet’s ‘Origin of the World’, 19th Century’s most notorious painting
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
>In this case mature just implies being desensitized to seeing genitalia. Maturity in this case implies being able to contextualise nudity. Particularly in American culture this always seems to come up. photographs of a naked child in a bathtub being scandalous, a father kissing his son, censoring images of a breastfeeding woman and so on. In my country mixed saunas and nude beaches are a big thing and I've met a lot…
Many, if not most, cultures outside of Europe are touchy about nudity. Europe is not the forefront of ethical civilization. You’d think after the 19th century and colonialism, Europeans would be a little less eager to condemn the rest of the world as ethically behind. Alas...your sentiment is an all too common one.
I don't think the rest of the world is 'ethically behind' or that a healthy relationship to the human body is exclusively European.
It's basically protestant modernity or whatever you want to call it that's caused this repression, also a European export so it's not like we're not to blame for a good portion of it. Huge chunks of the colonised world actually had fairly diverse and healthy attitudes towards nudity and sexuality before the era of colonisation. Women with Mustaches and Men without Beards is a great book about sexuality in Iran.
But either way today it does seem to be mostly the US which has the kind of influence that Europe had, and I don't enjoy it because it seems to affect our culture in negative ways.
Re: Gustave Courbet’s ‘Origin of the World’, 19th Century’s most notorious painting
#25Search YouTube for a tableau vivant of a lady who opened up her charms directly below the painting. Many gallery goers applauded while the security ladies were very much put off.