Reflection on April 29, 1981

https://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/jp2tb61.htm

Art is in a battle with shame. There is a struggle or a boundary that must be established. Art of the human body loses that battle and crosses the line when it ceases to respect the nature of the body, the reciprocity of the self gift, the unique experience that gift is supposed to be and what it teaches us. With that in mind, it makes you wonder about most art. You wonder if any art of the human body is appropriate. Think of a portrait of a person. They may be giving it as a gift to family or friends, but where is the reciprocity, where is the gift in return? This is clarified by narrowing the issue to making what is private public. A family portrait is a family, dressed in the normal cloths they would wear in public. There is no danger it crossing that boundary of respect because what they are revealing in the art is already public. We obviously would qualify nudes as something that is private being made public, but do nudes alone qualify. What about clothing that is scandalous? The problem with the idea of making what is private public is the world’s idea of what should be private. When you look at the world, they don’t seem to care too much about what is brought to the public light. (Unless you are talking about contraception/abortion/homosexual activity. Then the right to privacy is paramount and trumps all.)

A naturalist might say that any part of the human body should be shared. Do they really feel that way or is it just word speak? Do they have the same shame/embarrassment when they go to visit a doctor for a physical? I would think so and therefore deep down they know exposing your body in public is wrong. They understand it because it is inherited, that part of us that reaches back to the beginning, that touch of original innocence in us all.

The body is a gift, meant to be given in a unique way, in a special communion, fully and wholly and singularly. Art of this type puts that gift on display. It is to an anonymous audience whose intentions are unknown. In putting this gift of the body out there for all you completely move in opposition to the correct meaning of the body, its intended purpose. Your experience is distorted (along with all those in the audience that use your image) and this distorts your understanding of what it means to be human.

It is so odd how the world treats pornography. It allows it, accepts it, promotes it, but hides it. When you go to a dinner party is one of the acceptable topics your collection of pornography? Is the person at the party proudly acknowledging their occupation as a star of pornography? We mock the “walk of shame” by a person leaving the morning after, but we have no issue with how they got there. Deep down we know it is wrong, we know it hurts us, we know we should stop, but the world tells us to keep going. The world says it is okay, indulge, sleep around, be friends with benefits, just don’t be proud of it. How about we try to live our lives in a way we can be proud of?