Fleshing out morality

Surprising acceptance of the image of a nude sculpture on television reveals a continuous shift away from traditional rigidity.

On July 9, China Central Television (CCTV) news channel aired a news segment on the centennial celebration of the National Museum, which was to display several sculptures of renowned Italian Renaissance artists. One of them is Michelangelo's David-Apollo - not the ubiquitous David, mind you, but nude nonetheless.

The video that accompanied the news revealed the full body of the subject but with his genitalia pixilated.