Who Told You That You Were Naked? A Reply to Hans Rookmaaker on Nudity in the Arts
My dissertation research focuses on the work of the late Dutch art historian, Hans Rookmaaker (1922-1977). His efforts to free art and culture from the secularizing bonds of the Enlightenment have captivated my interest since I discovered his work in 2018. Working my way through Rookmaaker’s lately published Complete Works, I have discovered only one point of disagreement. While it is not unusual to find disagreement within the works of our favorite theologians and thinkers, my point of disagreement with Rookmaaker is unique. In his writing and lectures on art, he contributed to a long-standing conversation on nudity in the arts; however, the conversation seems to have ended.
This paper offers a reply to Rookmaaker, right where he left off half a century ago. The issue of nudity in art is still relevant and open for discussion, and despite my high regard for Rookmaaker, he erred on this point. I will argue Rookmaaker’s views on nudity in art do not align with Scripture. By holding Rookmaaker’s arguments up to the light of divine revelation, I will show Rookmaaker’s view on nudity aligned more with a popular film of his time, The Agony and the Ecstasy (1969), than with the Bible. Surveying five of his arguments on this subject, I will offer a reply to each. In summary, my aim is to re-expose the topic, denude Rookmaaker’s arguments, and present a positive argument for clothed figures in art which I believe most closely aligns with the Bible’s teaching,
By offering counterarguments in reply to Rookmaaker, I hope to contribute to the field of Christian aesthetics. Although the question of nudity in art may seem like an ancient relic in the 21st century, no moral question falls outside the purview of Scripture. While churches today agonize over the evils of pornography, sexual abuse, and other violations of God’s design for sex and marriage, Christians lack a biblical understanding of nudity. It is the perfect time to revisit the fundamental understanding of what God revealed to us about nakedness and its meaning. I submit the question is just as relevant today as it was in Rookmaaker’s time, if not more so. My concluding remarks will take the discussion one step further and offer an argument for clothed figures in art, appropriate for use in evangelical churches.