Sensual Art of the European Masters
The next several galleries feature sensual paintings by mainly European masters.
While these works do not explicitly relate to sacred sex, their display of the natural beauty
of the human form suggests its exalted nature. They also inspire a lofty view of the sexuality it arouses.
It is not surprising that many of the great master painters, immersed in the world of form,
felt a divine presence in the glorious form of man & woman, even without direct knowledge of sacred sex.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the painting in this first gallery. While both beautiful and sexual,
it is noteworthy here for a different reason entirely — the name given to it by the artist.
That name is L'Origine du monde (The Origin of the World). In this compelling title,
the artist captures the essence of a central sacred sex tenet, without even knowing.
This could only occur if the human form - and its sexual nature - is indeed inherently sacred.
No false image could inspire such a thought.
L'Origine du monde, by French artist Gustave Courbet, 1866
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