DELINEATING NUDITY: SHAFTESBURY’S AND HUTCHESON’S
AESTHETICAL CRITICISM
A Thesis
Presented to
The Faculty of the Sacred Heart Seminary- Bacolod
In Partial Fullfilment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Major in Philosophy
by
Richmond Zoilo D. Ranario
March 2024
INTRODUCTION
The body has been one of the subjects that people, especially artists’ use in their works.
Throughout history, images of Nudity have been produced by many artists, even by the great
painters and sculptors. According to Wallace (2000), Nudity is the representation of the human
form, which is the body that has played a central role in the quest to deal with significant issues
of birth, life, humanity, and death concerning the transcendent reality of the divine. 1 Nudity
denotes the feeling of being exposed to others or an imagined gaze and is a reactive and dynamic
concept. Nudity is a completeness- wearing of nothing in the body.
Perhaps the history of the nude in Art, which traditionally begins with the heroic male of
Greek Art of the classical period (6th - 5th century BC), should be pushed back to around 30-
25,000 BC. One is that historically, with a few exceptions, the nude is mainly a phenomenon of
Western Art. The male nude body in Greek sculpture was used both for portrayals of ideal gods
and idealized portraits of real heroes, notably the champions at the Olympic games. It brings up
another essential aspect of the nude in Art: its sometimes uneasy relationship with sexual desire. 2
The more graphic the representation, however, the more the subject whose body is the object of
scrutiny is compelled to look.
With the expansion and dominance of Christianity, artistic expression was increasingly
passing under the control and service of the new religion of the Church. The nude images of the
Saints, Martyrs, and the resurrected body exposure of sexual parts were also something to
1
Kemp, M. Wallace, M. (2000) Spectacular Bodies: The Art and Science of the Human Body from
Leonardo to Now. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.ph/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=cvaVr1S5Id0C&oi=fnd&pg=PA6&dq=art+human+body&ots=k4gf5lDhMF&sig=m-
bRix2nhRLX1fFZVAnw22IdyF0&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=art%20human%20body&f=true
2
Graves, E. (2003) Life Study: The Nude in Art - a Brief History. Retrieved from
https://app.dundee.ac.uk/museum/exhibitions/djcad/lifestudy/graves/index.html
celebrate and honor, but now with the Christian ideological constraint. The Roman Catholic
Church was inherently hostile to eroticism and sexual drives and exercised control and critique in
the art world. The ecclesiastical Art usually depicted biblical scenes, scenes from the life of Jesus
Christ and the Saints, and the Crucifixion and Redemption. 3 Nude Art has long been the subject
of theological debate, regardless of Christian denomination. However, respect and public display
of such Art have been a lasting Catholic tradition. 4 As a visualization of lively bodies, the nude
arrested looks disturbed and shocked the eyes, but the fascinating narrative that always
accompanied its long story caused sensibility and admiration.5
In the Letter of St. Paul, he also explains the body as a vessel and emphasizes that:
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples
of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have
received from God? You are not your own;
you were bought at a price.
Therefore, honor God with your bodies.” 6
The human body is sacred. Thus, does the depiction of Nudity intend to cause the person viewing
it to lust? That is, is the Nudity deliberately presented in such a way that the figure or person
depicted becomes an object of base pleasure? One example is nude photography, where a digital
camera flickered to capture the tone, shape, and posture of a naked body for the purpose and sake
of Art. Then, does this eliminate the notion that Nudity destroys the honor of the body for Art?
3
Sorabella, J. (2008) “The Nude in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art
History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000 http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/numr/hd_numr.htm
4
White, C. (2023) “Artistic or Pornographic? A Theological Analysis of Nude Art” retrieved from
https://thoughtfulcatholic.com/?p=47827
5
Ioannou, N.(2017) “A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NUDE IN ART THROUGH SELECTED PIECES”
School of Arts, University of Kentucky. 28-29
6
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV retrieved from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?
search=1%20Corinthians%206%3A19-20&version=NIV
This research will unveil from the lens of both aestheticians that is famously known for their
expertise in Art, The third Earl of Shaftesbury (known as Anthony Ashley Cooper) and Francis
Hutcherson, and how deliberately one considered that nude Art is appropriate also in the lens of
the Catholic Church based on their moral and aesthetical criticisms.
Then, what is Art? According to Augustyn (2024), Art is a visual object or experience
consciously created through an expression of skill or imagination. 7 Art encompasses diverse
media such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, decorative arts, photography, and
installation. All of these range and have a variety of ways to create Art; the body is one of the
subjects, which includes Nudity. Delineating Nudity means putting a distinction between
whether nude can be appreciated in Art or whether nude is something that can arouse and stir up
sexual emotion that will labeled as obscenity.
With the help of Shaftesbury’s philosophy, where Art can be the state of having morally
correct motives, it is the state of being “morally beautiful.” Moreover, Hutcheson believed that
Art is imitative, and its beauty comes from the contrast and similarity between the original and
the imitation.8 This study will then reconcile philosophers and their aesthetic criticism regarding
the notion of Nudity as an art or Nudity as an obscenity.
Statement of the Problem
7
Augustyn, A. (2024). https://www.britannica.com/biography/Steve-McQueen-British-director-
screenwriter-and-artist
8
McGregor, R. (2010). Postgraduate Journal of Aesthetics, Vol. 7, No. 1. “HUTCHESON’S IDEA OF
BEAUTY AND THE DOOMSDAY SCENARIO.” https://philarchive.org/archive/MCGHIO
This research aims to see Nudity and its aesthetic considerations when it comes to
painting, sculpture, and photography, whether it is an art used to express by the artist or
obscenity because it exposes genitalia to the viewer. Inclined with the philosophy in aesthetics of
Shaftesbury and Hutcheson, the Researcher aims to answer the question: How does Shaftesbury
and Hutcheson delineate Nudity from Art and obscenity? Where to delineate Nudity: as an Art or
as an Obscenity?
To answer the main problem, the following sub-questions were formulated:
1. What is Art according to Shaftesbury?
2. What is Art according to Hutcheson?
3. How can Nudity be considered an art?
4. How can Nudity be considered as an obscenity?
Significance of the Study
Throughout the years, art has been presented to express the desires of an artist, whether it is
in painting, sculpture, photography, song, music, or dance; the same is true in nudity. Nude Art is
prevalent and rampant to an artist to use the “body” as a reference. As a matter of course, nude
Art evokes feelings and pleasure, as is what Art is. Consequently, Nudity evokes something even
more, such as the arousement of urge and enrapting sexual impulse, which this study needs to
unveil.
The importance of this study is for everyone to understand that people have different
perceptions of Nudity. The Researcher will attempt to determine the relationship between Nudity
as Art and Nudity as obscene. With these, people can be educated in critiquing such works of
Nudity.
Also, it can benefit the Catholic Church to create a rational perspective when it comes to
nude Art, such as the notion that Art can draw and communicate catechism and morality.
Other than the Catholic Church, this study could benefit the Seminarians of the Sacred Heart
Seminary- Bacolod to widen their perspective in the field of Aesthetics, specifically in the view
of Nude Art.
Furthermore, this topic will reconcile the vision of the people trying to see Art positively,
whether they are moved by the awareness of the beauty that the Art depicts with awe-ness and
sublimity or are they being disturbed because of the message being delivered by the artist
especially when it is an art with the participation of nakedness.
Scope and Limitations
This study mainly focuses on Nudity as an art and Nudity as obscenity. By this, it will
unveil the works of Shaftesbury and Hutcheson, especially in aesthetics that vary in primary and
secondary works.
Such works of Shaftesbury will serve as primary sources: Characteristics of Men, Manners,
Opinions, Times (1711), and A Letter Concerning Design (1728). All books were edited by
Lawrence E. Klein and Lawrence Eliot Klein (1999). Also, the works of Hutcheson that the
Researcher chose to use as the primary source: An Inquiry Concerning Beauty, Order, Harmony,
Design (1725). The book were edited by P. Kivy (1973).
Secondary sources, such as journals and articles, are also utilized in this study to elaborate
more on the topic.
Definition of Terms
1. Nude –
2. Art –
3. Obscene –
4. Aesthetic –
5. Morality –
Methodology
The Researcher used both comparative and expository methods. The Researcher also
used the materials in the Sacred Heart Seminary ̶ Bacolod M. Dormido Library, such as books,
magazines, journals, and articles. The Researcher will also use the Internet to enhance the topic
that the library could not meet. With these sources, the Researcher aims to illuminate the
thoughts of The third Earl of Shaftesbury and Francis Hutcheson and their aesthetical criticism
regarding Nudity.
Ideogram
Figure 1 shows the main idea featured in the study.
Figure 1 Schematic Diagram of the Conceptual Framework of the Study.
Review of Related Literature
The Researcher uses books, journals, and articles specifically at the Sacred Heart
Seminary ̶ Bacolod M. Dormido Library related to this study and takes advantage of the
Internet; hence the results are as follows:
Hans Maes, in his “Drawing the Line: Art Versus Pornography,” wrote that Art and
9
pornography were often thought to be mutually exclusive. He also justified the differences
between subjectivity and objectivity, imagination and fantasy, and contemplation versus arousal.
It may help to illuminate the differences between certain prototypical instances of pornography
and Art but will not serve to justify the claim that pornography and Art are fundamentally
incompatible.10
The book of Clayton C. Barbeau “Art, Obscenity and Your Children” emphasizes the
discussions of how changing tastes and personal acceptance of human sexuality influence the
judgment of works of Art. Should not lead us to conclude that there is no such thing as obscenity,
that pornography and “dirt for dirt’s sake” do not exist.11
9
Maes, Hans, Drawing the Line: Art Versus Pornography. Wiley Research online library, 2011
10
See. Maes, Hans, Drawing the Line: Art Versus Pornography, 385-397.
11
Barbeau, C.C., “Art, Obscenity and your Children” Marriage Paperback Library, 1967
Obscenity and the Law by Norman St. John Stevas emphasizes that “the attempt to
understand obscenity in the terms of a simple definition is fruitless and best abandoned…
Obscenity were confined to matters related to sex or excremental functions. A pornographic
book, although obscene, is one deliberately designed to stimulate sexual feelings and to act as an
aphrodisiac. An obscene book has no such immediate and dominant purpose, although this
incidentally may be its effect. A work like Ulysses certainly contains obscene passages, but their
insertion in the book is not to stimulate sexual impulses in the reader but to form part of a work
of Art.12
12
John- Stevas, N. St. (1956). “Obscenity and the Law.” Secker and Warburg; London. 6-7
