Naked Statues & Nude Paintings

Apr 5th, 2007, in News, by

It is feared that Muslim clerics are offended by naked statues and nude paintings.

At the international conference held at the presidential palace in Bogor, near Jakarta to discuss the Sunni vs Shia conflict in Iraq, at which about 15 Muslim clerics from the middle east attended on 3rd and 4th April, a number of decorative interior and garden statues to be found at the palace were hastily covered up with batik cloth so as to avoid causing offence to the visiting Muslim holy men.

Hercules
A Hercules statue at the palace, possibly one of the Greco-Roman offenders.

Presidential staffer Abdul Rozak said ten statues inside the presidential palace and two more out the front had their modesty covered up. There are said to be 360 statues at the Bogor palace. wiki However one statue of a naked person at the front of the building escaped the attention of staffers and did not have the rude bits concealed. It is not clear what reaction the assembled clerics had to seeing this statue.

Additionally a number of paintings which showed too much female flesh, possibly including belly buttons, were replaced by paintings with more chaste and suitable content. It was no problem replacing the paintings, said Rozak, because the palace has plenty of spare fine art in the storeroom. mediaindo


6 Comments on “Naked Statues & Nude Paintings”

  1. El Gran Combo Puertorico says:

    Disgusting

    I mean, those naked statues and paintings of women, not the clerics of course.

  2. Karina says:

    Is this a joke?

    Possibly offended by the sight of belly buttons?

    I would be curious to know what the clerics’ actual reaction was.

  3. Oigal says:

    Ah the embrace of culture is a wonderful thing to behold

  4. Tuan Tua says:

    I always thought that guests had an obligation to respect the culture of the host. The batik probably drew attention to the funny bits – ‘why is that stue wearing a skirt?’

  5. Dragonwall says:

    Perhaps those clerics were undersize. Maybe.

  6. Ika Burhan says:

    I live in Bogor, I’ve been to the palace,..even inside the main room, inviting in d nice lunch with some groups,saw beautiful paintings,..nude. They all beautiful. It’s a big joke when they covered them to show some respect to guests. Guests the one who should be respect to us,..the host!!! We have different culture anyway. I’m moslem, and I’m proud of it, but irritate me if we must refer to ‘arabic’ ways of dressing,..
    Wake up, it’s Indonesia, Islam in Indonesia is different with arab,..the culture blend in it. Admit it. So please,..could be more wise on it? Could we become good ambassador for Islam in Indonesia by showing ‘lovely’ stuffs that blend with our cultures? I would love people see islam in Indonesua as beautiful one. Covering the statues, which is old one with batik? It’s joke,..for crying out loud. Thanks.

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