Art Censorship

Ethical issue: Is sexuality in art ethical? Furthermore, where do we draw the line?

Why should someone pay attention to revealing art as an ethical issue?

Sexuality in artwork has a reputation for being quite a controversial theme amongst societies all throughout time. The theme of sexuality itself is nevertheless quite common amongst artists despite the on-going quarrels. The core of the debate lies between whether it’s presence in art is ethical, and furthermore where the line should be drawn on how much emphasis on sexuality is too much.

It appears as though there will always be those who feel there should be no depiction of sexuality in artwork whatsoever. Perhaps this goes against their religious convictions or they simply feel as though it is outlandish and unnecessary. Likewise, there are those who feel that any type of artwork is acceptable, and that the artistic merit of each piece of art lies in the eyes of the beholder, therefore no judgment should be passed. However, the heat of the debate, so to speak, is not limited to those two opposing views. The majority of it usually lays much more a “grey area”. Those are the ones who tend to ask questions such as “exactly what is a work of art, and who decides what is considered one?” According to the Wikipedia.com, “what is perceived as a work of art differs between cultures and eras and by the meaning of the term art itself. To establish whether a work is a work of art, the concepts of artistic merit and literary merit are regularly invoked.”

Various types of artwork