New Public Sculpture Of A Woman In See-Through Dress Incurs Wrath In Italy
Image via Laura Boldrini from Democratic Party
La Spigolatrice, a statue crafted by sculptor Emanuele Stifano, has caused a stir among female politicians in Italy, some of whom think the portrayal is sexist and risqué.
The bronze work, depicting a woman clad in a transparent dress with the fabric outlining her bottom, was unveiled last week at a ceremony attended by dignitaries, including former Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, as per Artnet News.
Located in Sapri, the southern Campania region of the country, the sculpture is a tribute to the protagonist in Luigi Mercantini’s poem, La Spigolatrice di Sapri (The Gleaner of Sapri).
According to The Guardian, the poem talks about a farm laborer’s dedication to the Italian revolutionary Carlo Pisacane in an uprising against the Kingdom of Naples in 1857, which failed and left 300 dead.
“Once again, we have to suffer the humiliation of seeing ourselves represented in the form of a sexualized body, devoid of soul and without any connection with the social and political issues of the story,” female Democratic Party politicians in Palermo told The Independent.
Other public figures, such as Member of Senate Monica Cirinnà and Democratic Party member Laura Boldrini, have taken to social media to air their grievances. In a tweet, Boldrini said, “But how can even the institutions accept the representation of a woman as a sexualized body?”
However, the artist rejects any claims of sexism and bigotry. In a Facebook post explaining the work, Stifano wrote: “I always tend to cover the human body as little as possible, regardless of gender. If given the choice, the statue would have actually been completely naked… simply because I am a lover of the human body.”
It’s “useless” to try and explain the sculpture to critics “who absolutely only want to see depravity,” he said.
Is the public monument a work of art or a distasteful representation of a female protagonist? You decide.
La statua appena inaugurata a #Sapri e dedicata alla #Spigolatrice è un’offesa alle donne e alla storia che dovrebbe celebrare.
— laura boldrini (@lauraboldrini) September 26, 2021
Ma come possono perfino le istituzioni accettare la rappresentazione della donna come corpo sessualizzato?
Il maschilismo è uno dei mali dell'Italia. pic.twitter.com/2msLhgJvso
[via Artnet News and The Guardian, cover image via Laura Boldrini]
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