Back in the olden days, when I was in high school, Larry Flint and pornography were in the news. What's pornography? "I know it when I see it" was a common saying. I have no idea where the line is between pornography and art, but as with so many things, I know when we're far on one side or the other of the line:
A Florida principal was forced out of her job after parents complained about a Renaissance art lesson that featured a historic sculpture by Michelangelo — with one parent even calling it pornographic.
School leader Hope Carrasquilla resigned from Tallahassee Classical School this week after she was told to either step down or face termination, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
Carrasquilla, who was at the charter school for less than a year, told the newspaper the school board’s chair, Barney Bishop, offered the ultimatum, and she believes it was tied to the art lesson that included Michelangelo’s “David” and his “Creation of Adam” fresco painting.
I saw a replica of "David" in Florence in 1976, and if I visit Florence in June 2024 (as is my current plan), I'll see the actual work by Michelangelo.
I can't find the story now, but I remember reading about a Texas teacher who was fired because students saw some naked art while going from one room in a museum to another--and all their parents had signed permission slips for them to attend! I don't support that kind of foolishness at all, or the "David" foolishness, any more than I support this kind of foolishness.
Update, 3/26/23: News made it to Italy:
A Florence museum on Sunday invited parents and students from a Florida charter school to view Michelangelo’s “David” in person after the school principal was forced to resign following parental complaints that an image of the nude Renaissance masterpiece was shown to a sixth-grade art class.
Florence Mayor Dario Nardella also tweeted an invitation for the principal to visit so he can personally honor her. Confusing art with pornography was “ridiculous,” Nardella said.
The incredulous Italian response highlights how the U.S. culture wars are often perceived in Europe, where despite a rise in right-wing sentiment and governance, the Renaissance and its masterpieces, even its naked ones, are generally free of controversy...
Carrasquilla has said two parents complained because they weren’t notified in advance that a nude would be shown, while a third called the iconic statue pornographic.
Cecilie Hollberg, director of the Galleria dell’Accademia, where the “David” is housed, expressed astonishment at the controversy.
“To think that ‘David’ could be pornographic means truly not understanding the contents of the Bible, not understanding Western culture and not understanding Renaissance art,” Hollberg said in a telephone interview.
She invited the principal, school board, parents and student body to view the “purity” of the statue.
Tallahassee Classical is a charter school. While it is taxpayer-funded and tuition-free, it operates almost entirely independently of the local school district and is sought out by parents seeking an alternative to the public school curriculum...
Barney Bishop, chairman of Tallahassee Classical’s school board, has told reporters that while the photo of the statue played a part in Carrasquilla’s ouster, it wasn’t the only factor. He has declined to elaborate while defending the decision.
From what I've read elsewhere the problem wasn't the students seeing the David statue, it was the school not telling the parents about it, and there's been a couple of reports of a "don't tell your parents" vibe in the school.
ReplyDeleteI'm not exactly sure how you study Renaissance art and not see some nudity, but I admit to not being an expert on Renaissance art. Unless they were studying the genitalia instead of the art, I can't imagine what they weren't supposed to tell their parents. Then again, as I've said in a previous post, there are a lot of sickos in education, so I guess it's possible they were teaching inappropriate things.
ReplyDeleteBeing an art teacher, I encountered this and more in AP Art History. I think ultimately it comes down to being age appropriate. David, while beautiful, is wasted on elementary kids. I recall back when art history books were some of the most costly around, a librarian in Plano used a Sharpie to color out all the naughty bits in a $250 art book. For a high school level, that's silly. And it misses a teachable moment on the difference between art and pornography. All in all, everyone as usual is talking past each other.
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