Nude Art versus Pornography

Photo Credit: Patrick Landy

I have heard many questions inquiring about the Church's views on nude art. The Church actually has a very simple answer for this inquiry: the ethos of the image and the ethos of seeing. St. Pope John Paul II said, "[There is] a reciprocal circuit which takes place between the image and the seeing, between the ethos of the image and the ethos of seeing. The creation of the image, in the broad and differentiated sense of the term, imposes on the author, artist, or reproducer, obligations not only of an aesthetic, but also of an ethical nature. In the same way, 'looking,' is understood according to the same broad analogy, imposes obligations on the one who is the recipient of the work."


Essentially, this means that the painter is not only responsible for portraying the nude person with dignity, but the viewer is also responsible for recognizing and acknowledging the dignity of the person in the image. This concept prevents the objectification of persons. It is not simply a concept for sculpture or painting artists. The term "artist" applies to photographers, actors, and filmmakers, too.

The ethos of the image is corrupted when the artist intends to arouse lust in those who view the image. Pornography destroys the ethos of the image and the ethos of seeing because the artist aims to arouse lust and the viewer does not view the image with dignity. The person in the image is only an object through which someone can gain gratification.

Pornography detracts from the meaning of a person and their personality. Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel portray nude men and women with dignity, and we, as viewers, have a responsibility to respect that dignity.

I encourage you to think about the ethos of the image and the ethos of seeing the next time you are at a museum or the next time you see a piece of nude art. Did the artist portray the subject with dignity? Are you viewing the image and respecting its dignity? Learning to recognize the difference between art and objectification in imagery can help you to appreciate art that contains nude subjects.