Sexually Repressed Artworks Throughout History

What a raging art on

The nudes in Michelangelo's 'Last Judgement,' were painted over to cover their 'modesty' with cloths, following the master's death in 1564

Michelangelo, The Last Judgement, 1536-41 / Via en.wikipedia.org

The myth of Leda and the Swan was very popular for artists, which tells the story of Zeus disguising himself as a swan and seducing Leda.

Coreggio, Leda and the Swan, 1532 / Via uploads2.wikiart.org

Depicting sexual intercourse in artworks was frowned on during this period, so many artists chose this myth because a bird could be used in the male's stead. Never mind the beastiality factor...

This piece with that direct gaze and ... dem fingers, caused quite the stir

Titian, Venus of Urbino, 1538 / Via en.wikipedia.org

Fun Fact: The maid in the background is frantically searching for something to cover the exposed body of Venus.

A young girl and a dead bird in a painting? That girl just lost her V-card.

Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Young Girl Weeping for her Dead Bird, c. 1759 / Via commons.wikimedia.org

Often seen during the Renaissance, a symbol of lost virginity was a dead bird, with a forlorn girl mourning it.

What does the flying shoe and outstretched arm from the man below the lady's swing mean?

Jean-Honore Fragonard, The Happy Accidents of the Swing, 1767 / Via wikiart.org

Another symbol of lost virginity and the male's stiff "passion"

The same guy who painted this famous work, Katsushika Hokusai...

Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave at Kanagawa, 1831-33 / Via totallyhistory.com

Also painted this ...

Katsushika Hokusai, The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife / Via wordpress.com

And this...

Katsushika Hokusai, From the album Fukujuso, Shunga , c. 1818-30 / Via artvalue.com

Gives a whole new perspective on those crashing waves hey...

When this artwork hit the society pages in 1863, it was the equivalent of a celebrity sex tape

Edouard Manet, Olympia, 1863 / Via en.wikipedia.org

This piece was also inspired by Titian's Venus of Urbino

What do you see in Georgia O'Keeffe's flower?

Georgia O'Keeffe, Black Iris, 1926 / Via phaidon.com

Yes, you're meant to see that.

Although Brancusi claims this sculpture was merely a depiction of a woman, it was still banned from public exhibition in the 1920s ...

Constantin Brancusi, Princess X, 1916 / Via wordpress.com

... because it's clearly a member of the PEN15 Club.

Giacometti's sculpture symbolises a state of endless blue-balls

Alberto Giacometti, Suspended Ball, 1930-1 / Via classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com

This furry cup and saucer by Meret Oppenheim?

Meret Oppenheim, Object: Breakfast in Fur, 1936 / Via smarthistory.khanacademy.org

Yep, that's a vagina.

Who would have thought Dali's Lobster Telephone could be so cheeky ...

Salvador Dali, Lobster Telephone, 1936 / Via upload.wikimedia.org

For Salvador Dali, food and sex were closely combined. In this piece the lobster's reproductive organs, which are in it's tail, rests on the telephone's mouthpiece.

Yup, it's safe to say artists are a saucy bunch. And you should always have this in the back of your mind when looking at art.

Via tumblr.com