For this week's blog post:
1. Read about censorship of the Sistine chapel during the Renaissance (text below)
2. Read the Time magazine article about political censorship today in Russia. Then complete your blog post.
Definition of censor from dictionary.com: "censor"
Read below about how the Sistine Chapel was censored by Pope Paul III during the Renaissance
"Excerpt from the "Virtual Vatican Museums."
Text and Sistine chapel images: http://www.virtual-vatican-museums.com/sistine-chapel-michelangelo.phtml
In the vault of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo created an extraordinary gallery of characters (more than 300 figures) that gives life to the whole history of humanity, from creation until the coming of Christ.
Two decades later, Michelangelo was again called to work on the Sistine Chapel on behalf of Pope Paul III. Between 1533 and 1541 he painted the Last Judgment on the wall behind the altar. It is a painting of a great expression; in the centre of the painting you can see Christ surrounded by Saints and Angels, who proclaimed the Last Judgment. Toward him rise the resurrected for eternal salvation, while the damned are falling to hell.
The Last Judgment was the issue of a tough dispute between the Cardinal Carafa and Michelangelo. The artist was accused of immorality and intolerable obscenity, because he had painted nude figures with their genitals clearly exposed, in the most important church of Christianity.
Therefore a campaign of censorship (known as the campaign of fig leaves) was organized by Cardinal Carafa and Monsignor Sernini (Ambassador of Mantova) to remove the frescoes. Giordano Vasari said that the Master of Ceremonies for the Popes, Biagio of Cesena, made a similar complaint, saying that it was more suited to a thermal bath than a chapel. Also when Michelangelo painted a self-portrait, painted on the figure of Minosse, Judge of Hell, Biagio da Cesena complained to the Pope. The Pontiff replied that its jurisdiction did not apply to hell and so the portrait remained. According to other studies, the character portrayed in the Minosse is Pierluigi Farnese, the son of Pope Paul III, well known in Rome for being violent and to have raped a young cleric causing his death.
Coinciding with the death of Michelangelo, a law was issued to cover the genitals of the painting (‘Pictura in Chapel Ap.ca coopriantur’), so Daniele of Volterra, who was Michelangelo’s apprentice, carried out the work. After, he was nicknamed ‘Braghettone’, because he covered the genitals, but left intact the rest of the painting.
When the work was restored in the 1993, restores did not uncover the figures that Daniele had painted. However a replica of the painting, without being censured, by the artist Marcello Venusti, is displayed in the Museum of Capodimonte in Naples. The Chapel was restored (from 1981 to 1994).
Read about Russia's crackdown on political art that occurred in 2009 as described by Time magazine.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1905202,00.html
Answer the following questions in your reflection:
1. Why do you think art is targeted for censorship?
2. What power does art have today (as well as in the past)?
13 comments:
The censorship during the reniassance affected the church when Michelangelo was acused of drawing genitelia on pictures and paintings located in some of the most important locations in Europe. I think that this happened because the church was almost like a ruling power, and they wanted to be decent in a way to the public. To censor is to cover or to modify a general sight or sound.
I think that this will not be affected anymore, because people respect and know that its okay to include genitals in paintings and pictures.
Michelangelo had made over 300 sculptures on the Sistine Chapel, and then he got called 20 years later on behalf of Pope Paul III to paint another picture. Then the campaign of censorship (campaign of fig leaves) accused him of immorality and intolerable obscenity. Then in 2009 Alexander Shchednov was accused for the same thing. I think the censorship is right because I think it’s obscene. Kids can see those paintings and I don’t think its right. Did Alexander Shchednov ever show up to court? Is he free now? I think if the human-rights protection group sees any other obscene painting they will do the same.
think that since the renaissance affected the church so much also Michelangelo was accused of painting genitelia on pictures(like an insult for woman) they say he painted it on some of his pictures and paintings. The worst part is that the paintings are located on some of the most important places in Europe. I think this accusation is mostly because I guess that maybe its going to far in the way that the church is against things that are so indecent. Also I think that they also accused him because this is about woman and I don’t think the church thought it was respectful.
Censor: is to cover or modify a general sound of sight.
1. Why do you think art is targeted for censorship?
I think it targeted because it was not respectful towards woman and because since the church ruled they were not ok with such indecency.
2. What power does art have today (as well as in the past)?
It has the same power although I think that its more advanced now and it is more free.
What happened in Russia was that just because the man draws a collage of a political person he got arrested. I think this is not fair because you have a right to do what you want to draw even if is political. The Russian police arrest him for Russian censorship by painting a prime minister. I think this art is censorship because in Russia they are very strict with the government and rules so they censored it so the prime minister would think that art as an insult. Art has a lot of power because you can express yourself and if you want a poster or a banner done by computer is still art and the topic of art we can use it every day. Why do you think Russia is so strict with the laws? I stead of arresting why didn’t just take the collage and keep it? I think what will happen next is that the guy will be innocent but they will keep the collage
The church censored Michelangelo's paintings not because of the genitals but because of what people thought of the genitals because it clearly describes that it was the people that said it was obscene. Yet in another way it was true they didn't want people seeing that stuff when they are at church, of course the Sistine Chapel is no exception. The sight of the genitals didn't make the people happy either, but still Michelangelo was forced to do it and even had a deadline yet he put his best work on the Sistine Chapel and people don't appreciate it? In the modern world we are in, people are still trying to censor great pieces of art but at least now artists have something called freedom of speech which not only refers to the oral or written it is also pictures and drawings.
1. Why do you think art is targeted for censorship?
It is the only way to show something visually without it being someone real.
2. What power does art have today (as well as in the past)?
It makes people think why the artist drew that.
The censorship during the renaissance affected the church because of Michelangelo´s painting. The people also contributed to the accusation of Michelangelo because they thought that the pictures were an insult to the church. Many people thought of this as an insult because the paintings were in the most important church in ancient Europe. Last year, Alexander Shchednov was hanging up his collage when he got arrested for the same thing that Michelangelo had, because he had drawn a disrespectful picture. I think that they should not have these kinds of paintings in church because it really disrespectful.
Why is censorship so important on paintings?? Because many people don´t like it and think it is disrespectful.
What is censor??? Anyone who sees or supervises the morality of others.
I think this article talks about three different situations where there is hostility and harassment to persons engaged in political art. This people was sent to jail because of I think injustice and small things that any other country they would just ignore it. This people are also trying to avoid doing their work. I believed that there was more tolerance of freedom of speech and freedom of demonstration in modern Russia. I hope this is not the beginning of a new kind of repression against its people. Is this the beginning of a new repression? How is the government going to solve it? I think they will be more tolerant to political arts. I think art is a target because it expresses a lot of what people think. Art has the power for people to express themselves and what a place can be.
The church in the reinaisance censured many art works in one of the most important churches made by Michelangelo, becaus of the exposal of the genitals of an angel. Michelangelo faced the tribual becaus of a blame of the church, after michelangelo´s deth his aprentice patched all the genitals.
I think this is an obvious response from the church, after seeing that one of the most important of their churches had been decoratedwith a pice of art that exposed his genitals, wich obviously at that time whas unacceptable and vulgr, that the church took to the tribunal Michelangelo whas maby exageratin, it would have been enougth to ask him to censure his art work´s.
1.Wy dosen´michelangelo hiself censured his work?
2.what those the church sys about the past decisions o the Pope PoulIII?
Art is targeted for censorship becous of his power over art apriciators, a sort of propaganda so if powrfoul people dosen´t like this "propaganda" the artis who made it woul be in problems, and the pice of art may be censured or destroied.
Russians artists are having problems with the government. They are said that they can’t paint political things they are not good. Alexander Shchednov was arrested just for putting a collage outside in a city streets of a prime minister Vladimir Putin. Artist think they should not be arrested for it they do what they are good at. I think that artist should not be arrested for painting what they like what they are good at and that’s their work. If they are not posting bad things of the government they shouldn’t be arrested just if it really says bad things of it. I don’t think it was good to had arrest Alexander he was just working. I think that what will happen will be that Alexander will not be arrested for these but if it repeats he will be next time.
Why is the government so extract about these things?
What Alexander posted was a bad thing about Vladimir Putin?
Why do you think art is targeted for censorship? I think art is targeted for censorship because art is a way to express and if you express bad ideas you will not give a good image for that person or for the persons that are watching it.
What power does art have today (as well as in the past)? The power that arts has today is to express, it is a way to express so if you make a great advertise of a drink people will see the advertisement and they will buy that drink. So it has the power to attract people.
The article is about that artists in Russia cannot express their ideas freely. Their art work is censured so the artist cannot express like they want. There is a law that forbids artist the expression of extremism.
My personal opinion is that art in Russia has been targeted because they do not have a law that allows their artists to express their ideas freely.
Art today as well in the past is away to express ideas. You do not need to say anything to express and idea through art. All you need is to be able to see it.
Why doesn’t Russia let their artist express their ideas freely?
Why some art needs to be censured and cannot be showed in public?
My prediction is that if the artists keep complaining and fighting maybe in the future the president of Russia changes that law a lets the artist express their ideas and show all their art in public.
The censorship of the paintings that Michelangelo did on the Sistine chapel affected the church because te genitals of the paintings appeard in one of the most important places of the religion, they wanted to punsh Michelangelo for doing this because it was inapropiate for the church, but since later on another artist cencored them with leaves they didnt worry about that anymore. Later on they saw replicas on museums of the paintings without being cencored but it didnt matter becuase now its okay to include or show the genitals in paintings. I have a question though, did the church arrest Michelangelo or punish him for not censoring the paintings or not? Later on the church wont get mad or upset because now its normal for the genitals to be included on potraits, pictures or paintings.
I think art is targeted for censorship because the nude paintings showing their genitals where shown in public. Michelangelo had more than 300 paintings.The church didn´t like it because they had a lot of power and it was disrespectful for all children as adults or priests when they enter to the church. Between the years 1533-1541 he painted behind the altar Christ surrounded by angels.
-Why did they called him the ¨ Braghettone¨?? He covered the genitals but didn't touch any part of the paintings.
-What is censor?? An adverse critic; faultfinder.
One of Michelangelo’s most famous paintings he did was the ones he did in the Sistine chapel creating more than 300 characters painted in the chapel. He was later asked by the pope Paul III to do another painting, which he did behind the alter. Michelangelo was arrested because of immorality and intolerable obscenity since in his painting he showed the genitals of the characters. A Russian painter called Alexander Shednov was accused for a similar thing. Art is targeted for censorship because there are so many opinions, religions, razes in the world that artists take the risk to insulting any of them. I think art should not be censored because art is a way for the artist to express his or her feeling and one should be telling them what to dram or not. Was Alexander trying to be immature or was he really showing his feelings? In some point censorship is obligatory because images like that should not be shown for public eye because kids can see them and it’s not a really nice view either, but everyone has their way of expressing themselves and that should be respected.
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