An article dated 5th August in the International Herald Tribune (IHT) made me feel so exasperated. It is about the Italian summer scandal about the Pop-Star Prime Minister Berlusconi trying to cover up an issue. The article is titled : Art historians outraged over Berlusconi decision over painting.
In brief, the Italian media mogul and the Prime Minister Berlusconi (nick-named "Ecommunist" by the British Economist) ridiculed himself not by choosing a painting of Giovanni Battist (17th century fresco painter and printmaker) to be the background of all Press Conferences of his office in Rome but by retouching the exposed breast of the lady in the painting. The official reason (after several clumpsy attempts of hiding the truth) issued was "it (the breast, the nipple) might upset the sensitivity of some viewers".
Ridiculous, absurd and pathetic...why ?
Let us give them a little more time to “re-unveil again the truth” of Gianbattista Tiepolo nipple or the sex scandal (the affair between Berlusconi and Mara Carfagna, ex show girl and the current minister for equal opportunities).
My question is : What would you say if somebody retouches the painting of Mona Lisa or Last Supper or Raja Ravi Varma paintings or Persian paintings, even if it is a blown-up digital version ?
A stupid question, I know...many might not even bother.
In brief, the Italian media mogul and the Prime Minister Berlusconi (nick-named "Ecommunist" by the British Economist) ridiculed himself not by choosing a painting of Giovanni Battist (17th century fresco painter and printmaker) to be the background of all Press Conferences of his office in Rome but by retouching the exposed breast of the lady in the painting. The official reason (after several clumpsy attempts of hiding the truth) issued was "it (the breast, the nipple) might upset the sensitivity of some viewers".Ridiculous, absurd and pathetic...why ?
- City of Rome is full of nudism (statues, paintings etc)
- Vatican City (inside Rome) is full of nudes too, well except Michael Angelo's Sistine Chapel where the genitals of the figure were covered with loincloths in the 16th century.
- Many Italian official offices have such paintings in their reception hall, meeting halls and their websites. Example given by IHT - the Italian Culture Ministry has a very naked figure of Daphne by the Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini on its Web site.
- Big nude statues in front of the big buildings are still seen in Rome.
- Last but not least, according to IHT - Newspaper commentators have pointed out that Berlusconi, who owns Italy's three largest private television stations, has not shied away from showcasing scantily clad women in scores of television shows.
Let us give them a little more time to “re-unveil again the truth” of Gianbattista Tiepolo nipple or the sex scandal (the affair between Berlusconi and Mara Carfagna, ex show girl and the current minister for equal opportunities).
My question is : What would you say if somebody retouches the painting of Mona Lisa or Last Supper or Raja Ravi Varma paintings or Persian paintings, even if it is a blown-up digital version ?
A stupid question, I know...many might not even bother.
Me, an ardent amateur and lover of art & history, I am not able to accept this, some of you might find this issue so petty that it is not even worth to talk about but I couldn't stop myself to pen down my feelings on this issue.
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Ciao to all my Italian friends (Nicola Ardagna, Andrea, Nico from Roma, Sophia, Alisa, Caterina, Nico from Torino, Elena, Maria, Giovanni, Gioele, Filipe, Feredirico) please do tell me what is happening in your country if you are there or tell me what the Italian press is saying exactly...
a short email will do...Grazie Mille & Baci Baci
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Ciao to all my Italian friends (Nicola Ardagna, Andrea, Nico from Roma, Sophia, Alisa, Caterina, Nico from Torino, Elena, Maria, Giovanni, Gioele, Filipe, Feredirico) please do tell me what is happening in your country if you are there or tell me what the Italian press is saying exactly...
a short email will do...Grazie Mille & Baci Baci
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17 comments:
I detest the act. Needless to say, I want stringent action to be taken against him!
I would never accept that,,! The nerve..!
How furious the artist would be if he were alive..!
Yeesh. And I thought it was only (hard-core Christian) Americans who did that kind of stuff.
The best response to such "cover-ups" is the one Mark Twain recommended: ridicule. Thank you, Prash, for your contribution to that. :-)
Hi Prash!
I think it is important to talk about these things.
Berlusconi is such a fake!
ha ha ha! i don't believe it.
Ai-talians turning prude ???
They friggin FUCK on roadside bushes (eye-witness to a couple near a beach in the port city of Genoa)
hasn't this guy seen any Tinto Bass movie? ha ha ha they show one on national television almost every alternate day around 10:30
what does he think they show after 11 o'clock on 'Rai' -their national television channel ?(number of clothes is inversely proportional to the lateness of the hour. A sicilian public broadcast channel, their DD, even goes to the extent of showing full fledged XXX on friday n saturday nights. I have seen explicit love making scenes on their daily soaps at 11 in the day!)
How does he think those ladies get that lovely tan on their breasts? Hasn't he been to any beaches?
bluddy hypocrite!
Ai-talians turning prude ??? They friggin FUCK on roadside bushes (eye-witness to a couple near a beach in the port city of Genoa)
How old is Berlusconi? Most likely he grew up at a more prudish, more religious time than the roadside-bush-copulation generation.
You mean the guy was involved in a sex scandal & he still has the nerve to whine about a exposed breast? Maybe it's his own guilty conscience that's bothering him.
Irate Italians should protest by going topless.
ROFL @ handmaiden's idea. i think they shud do that, call carla bruni from Paree to be the leader of the march
@all,
One of my Italian friends wrote me this :
But this is nothing compared to the blow-jobs the two women Ministers gave to him to get their posts. Disgusting and ridiculous!
kriss bass,
Thanks for visiting this blog.
Stringent action against Berlusconi ? who should take this action ? Only Italians can decide it...it is there country and their Prime Minister. Unfortunately, we can only exasperate and talk about this "ridicule"
srijith unni,
Thanks for telling it out. I never thought how would the artist would feel if he is alive.
infidel753,
Thanks for that link. I never knew about this. Italy is filled with hard-core Christians (be it Italians or foreigners - especially in Rome). Many conventional Italians think that Spain is going so "pink" as they allowed the gay marriage.
fab c.-h,
oh mon dieu, qui est-ce ! c'est mon petit fabien ! comment ça va, toi ? Aucune nouvelle de toi depuis que t'as quitté le fameux Facebook Tu es en France ? que fais-tu ? Give me your news, mon cher ami !
Merci d'avoir laissé tes empreintes et tes pensées ici.
flygye12
I think this is more about his image. His com guys didn't want to give an image of the PM with a breast and nipple while there are big sex scandals are on the front lines and especially he is very reputed to issue sexist statements and very flirtatious (but again, being flirtatious isn't it the trademark of Italians ?!? but a PM publicly doing such scandalous stuff is unacceptable).
infidel753
He is in his 70's. According to Wikipedia, his party shows support to :
freedom, the individual, family, enterprise, Italian tradition, Christian tradition and love for weaker people
handmaiden
Don't give them such ideas...they will! ;-) well, actually we should give them such ideas, you are right ! ** prash winks **
Last year, two guys were arrested by the Italian Police in a tourist place in Rome (next to the Coliseum) because according to the Police they publicly exposed an indecent behavior. To oppose these, there were thousands of men and women kissed each other (opp.sex and same sex) in front of the Coliseum.
flygye12
Good idea, Carla Bruni should join. I just listened to her new album (quite nice though). I have been to her concert, you know. Like 4 years ago, when she was not married with the current President. She is a beautiful woman (well, why shouldn't be, she is an ex-model)
Ohh god,
that's so absurd.
It should never had happened. I detest him and his actions.
Salut chéri!
Oui c'est bien moi! Quel dommage de disparaître tout court quand on disparaît de facebook!
Mais je suis toujours vivant, plus que jamais :D
Je vais très bien, je suis en vacances à Tours. Je suis parti à Biarritz et à Marseille c'était génial. L'année prochaine je continue la fac d'anglais à Tours. J'ai fait une demande pour Paris et une pour Edinbourg mais j'ai eu deux refus :'(
J'espère que tout va bien pour toi aussi.
Bisous et à bientôt!
freedom, the individual, family, enterprise, Italian tradition, Christian tradition and love for weaker people
Typical mindless party-platform babble. Freedom and the individual are hardly consistent with "Christian tradition". As for "Italian tradition", the Romans (original Italians) weren't touchy about naked statues.
I like Handmaiden's idea. :-)
Just wanted to send some love your way **smooches**
i duno what to say !!! but
here is my blogpage :P like u said :P !!!
giggles**
free PR haha
I hate all forms of censorship, but this is outrageous. We are talking about fine art. I have mixed feelings whenever I hear about shit like this happening in Europe. On the one hand, I don't feel quite as alone. On the other, I'd like to think there are places in the world that aren't like America.
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