Art versus Pornography

I truly do not understand why, in the 21st Century, we are still grappling with the issues of what is art and what is pornography when it comes to the depiction of the nude human form. The Bucks Gallery of Fine Art in Newtown, Pennsylvania, is presenting an exhibit called "Women: The Standard Bearers" by artist Jacques Fabert. Without question these nudes are a celebration of women as "bearers of life" and the "embodiment of love". So what's the problem? Apparently some people are offended at the exhibit as being inappropriate for a "family" community. A local columnist reports that one local woman views the paintings as too risque and does not wish to see them when she drives into town. This is just plain ignorance. To equate the classical style works of this 81 year old artist with Hustler-style titillation is patently absurd. “This is unfortunate,” he (Fabert) said. “It's taking advantage of ignorance, the inability to discern art from the lowest common denominator.” So true. American society has to stop listening to the cacophony from the religious conservatives who really do not have a clue when it comes to art and are only fueling fires to ignite outrage and thus raise money for their own false prophet empires. And the few who actually believe that this high form of art is something to be ashamed of should not be given the opportunity to set the standards by which we live. Go meditate and congretate with others who share your views, and leave the real world and all of its beauty to the rest of us.