- action | issues
- Academic Freedom
- Books
- Classrooms
- Copyright
- Film
- Government Secrecy
- Hate Speech
- Internet
- LGBT
- Libraries
- Music
- Nudity & Pornography
- Political Correctness
- Political Dissent
- Public Spaces
- Race Ethnicity Gender
- Radio & Television
- Religion
- Science
- Sex Education
- Theater & Performance
- Video Games
- Violence
- Visual Art
- Youth
- advocacy | projects
- education | resources
in support of free expression
The information presented here by the National
Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) may be freely redistributed in its entirety,
provided that readers are informed that the information was obtained from
NCAC's World Wide Web site and that credit is given to the appropriate source
of whatever information is used. Permission is expressly granted for the information
obtained to be made available for file transfer from installations offering
unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. Information found here
may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents without
the written permission from the National Coalition Against Censorship.
LAST UPDATED APRIL 2005
©Copyright 2005 NCAC
WEB DESIGN
Jeanne Criscola Criscola Design
NCAC Censorship News Issue #67:
The Arts Under Attack: The Philly Flasher Succumbs to Censors in Tennessee
Frontal nudity in art, especially male, even of children and even in a non-sexual context, offends some viewers in degrees ranging from discomfort to actual revulsion. Others can appreciate such images for their aesthetic qualities or lack thereof and can identify with what the artist is attempting to reveal about the human condition.
Michelangelo's classical sculpture of David is one such image. But as beautiful and inspiring as millions find it, others may view it as indecent, patently offensive, pornographic or obscene. Had the discredited Communications Decency Act not been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, David might well have been banned from cyberspace.
The Philly Flasher, an oil painting by Emerson Zabower, removed from the walls of an art exhibit in Johnson City, TN, in August, is a visual depiction of frontal male nudity in a different category. Painted in the style of Rubens, according to one viewer, it depicts a male "with an attitude," featuring an open raincoat, a hat, sagging socks, and no underwear. A few of the viewers who didn't laugh found it so offensive they demanded its removal. The Johnson City Area Arts Council capitulated, moving the work to a back room where it could be seen only by request. Spokespeople for the Council claim they are not censors. Nonetheless they have removed a work of art from the walls of their gallery.