Notes on The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art

Introduction: The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art

  • Leo Steinberg's article addresses the under-recognized emphasis on the genitalia of Christ Child or dead Christ in Renaissance art.
  • The article aims to:
    • Acknowledge the existence of this imagery.
    • Propose theological grounds for the genital reference.
    • Address the misinterpretation of pictorial symbols as mere naturalism.

I. The Ostentatio Genitalium

  • Renaissance art (North and South of the Alps) frequently depicted the genitalia of the Christ Child or the dead Christ with emphasis.
  • This "ostentatio genitalium" is comparable to the "ostentatio vulnerum" (showing of the wounds).
  • Many religious works from before 1400 to the mid-16th century prominently feature the unveiling, touching, protecting, or presentation of the Christ Child's sex.
  • This emphasis is also found in images of the dead Christ or the Man of Sorrows.
  • This phenomenon has been largely overlooked for centuries.
  • The article questions if the 20th century is ready to acknowledge the subject's existence.

II. Theological Grounds for Genital Reference

  • The article seeks to provide theological justification for the genital reference in Renaissance art.
  • The intent is to approach the discovery of this subject with reverence rather than ribaldry.

III. Pictorial Symbols vs. Descriptive Naturalism

  • The article clarifies that pictorial symbols in Renaissance art are often mistaken for descriptive naturalism.
  • Example: The gesture of an infant Christ touching the Virgin's chin is often admired for its childlike charm, but it is actually a ritual form with a deep history.
  • The "chin-chuck" gesture:
    • Found in New Kingdom Egypt as a token of affection or erotic persuasion.
    • Used in Archaic Greek painting for wooers and in the Iliad to denote supplication (Iliad, I, 501-02; VIII, 370-71; X, 454-55).
    • Allegorized in Late Antique art to represent the union of Cupid and Psyche.
    • Proliferated in medieval art to depict both profane lovers and the Madonna and Child.
  • Christian artists would have recognized this gesture as a sign of erotic communion (carnal or spiritual).
  • The gesture designates Mary's son as the Heavenly Bridegroom, choosing her as his eternal consort.
  • St. Augustine referred to Jesus as Infant Spouse.
  • The intent of artists was to emphasize the mystery of the Incarnation, not to diminish it.
  • They believed the godhead in Jesus was self-evident and wouldn't be dimmed by his manhood.
  • The artists did not foresee the demythologizing effect of secularism on the perception of their sacred art.
  • Modern viewers often see only a human image, missing the mysteries of the Creed.
  • Renaissance artistry may have become too competent for its own good, with its naturalism overshadowing the divine subject matter.
  • The posture of a dead Christ touching his groin is often dismissed as a common occurrence, but its presence in sacred monuments requires deeper consideration.
  • The uniqueness of the Christ Child in Western art is highlighted, as he is often depicted engaging in activities not typical of other babies.
  • The depicted Christ, even in babyhood, embodies the Incarnation (very man, very God).
  • Naturalistic details in Infancy scenes are not mere observations but revelations of compatibility with the subject.
  • The presentation of the Child's privy parts is interpreted as a palpable proof of God's descent into manhood.
  • St. Anne's role in guaranteeing Christ's human lineage is emphasized.
  • Joseph's contemplative gaze signifies his understanding of the revelation.

Theological Emphasis in Renaissance Art

  • Renaissance images differ from Byzantine images in the degree of naturalism and theological emphasis.
  • Earlier Christian imagery reaffirmed Christ's godhood due to historical challenges like Jewish recalcitrance, pagan skepticism, the Arian heresy, and Islam.
  • Byzantine images aimed to remain a holy icon without earthly realism.
  • For Western artists, the goal was to declare the humanation of God.
  • Renaissance art celebrates the Incarnation, emphasizing that godhood has vested itself in the infirmity of the flesh to raise it to immortality.
  • God's second great deed (becoming flesh) surpasses the first (Creation) because it redeems from corruption.
  • Incarnational theology views subsequent events in Christ's life as articulations of the initial restoration achieved in the Virgin's womb.
  • The wonder and constant reaffirmation of the humanation of God is central to Renaissance art.
  • Realism in Renaissance painting testifies to God's greatest achievement.
  • The inclusion of moments like the exhibition or manipulation of the boy's genitalia serves to emphasize Christ's humanity.
  • Representations of such actions would only be in line with the imagery of the Christ Child, the only child needing ordinary humanity celebrated.
  • The image is both natural and mysterial, each term enabling the other.
  • The West sought to realize Christ's manhood as the common flesh of humanity and consecrated realism as a form of worship.

Sexual Accent in Renaissance Art

  • The article questions why Renaissance art emphasizes a select sexual accent in the portrayal of Christ.
  • The eternal experiences neither death nor generation. However, God takes on both mortality and sexuality to suffer a human fate.
  • The evidence of Christ's sexual member serves as the pledge of God's humanation.
  • The nursing Madonna, or Maria Lactans, became popular to assure the believer that God had indeed become man.
  • The image of the Maria lactans, popular since the mid-14th century, assured the believer that the God rooting at Mary's breast had become man indeed.
  • The humanity taken on by the Word in Mary's womb was said to be