The display of the human body and its representation in art are both topics that have the potential to be taboo in traditionally observant Jewish contexts. And yet bodies were portrayed—sometimes quite explicitly—in Jewish visual culture over the centuries. What characterizes the Jewish body as portrayed by Jews in art? How is the Jewish body depicted by enemies of the Jews? Are there gender discrepancies between the way male and female bodies are depicted? What constitutes "appropriate nudity" in this highly problematic, taboo-skirting area of representation?
This talk can stand alone,
or you may enjoy it as part of the series
"Eros & the Jews: Reading the Rabbis in Bed"
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