Undressing the Virgin Mary: Nudity and Gendered Art
Stripping the Virgin Mary of the myths, stories, and dogmas surrounding her is a task that has particularly appealed to a branch of feminist theology which seeks to reclaim her as a figure of female empowerment. This article aims to explore the transformation of Mary's body into an element of r...
| Published in: | Feminist theology |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
[2017]
|
| In: |
Feminist theology
|
| IxTheo Classification: | NBE Anthropology NBJ Mariology NCF Sexual ethics |
| Further subjects: | B
Theology
B Corporeality B Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint B Nudity B Transgender B Identity B Feminist ethics B ideologized body B Virgin Mary |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Stripping the Virgin Mary of the myths, stories, and dogmas surrounding her is a task that has particularly appealed to a branch of feminist theology which seeks to reclaim her as a figure of female empowerment. This article aims to explore the transformation of Mary's body into an element of resistance in the work of some contemporary artists. By depicting her nude or semi-nude, artists disrupt the gender values commonly associated with the Virgin and open up alternative possibilities of affirmative selfhood through her body. I contend that, in these works, the Virgin's body functions as a 'relational' body that enters into dialogue with hitherto marginalized categories, such as the carnal, the sensual, the notion of fleshly materiality, or even the excluded sexualities of transgender people. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1745-5189 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Feminist theology
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0966735016679907 |