The statue of a woman in a transparent dress that embossed the curves of her body (except for her breasts which she partially covers with her right hand) has caused a stir in neighboring Italy.
The unveiling of the La Spigolatrice statue on the beach of Sapri in the province of Salerno provoked reactions from women politicians Italy.
The sculpture by Emanuele Stifano represents the protagonist of Luigi Mercantini’s poem “La Spigolatrice di Sapri”, a poem often taught in Italian schools, according to the Athens News Agency. The peasant had bravely helped the Italian revolutionary Carlo Pisacane in the failed uprising of 1857 against the Bourbons of the Kingdom of Naples, which left behind 300 dead.
The public monument is intended to honor the historic event, however, instead of Pisacane or the 300 who followed him in the uprising and death, the narrator of the poem is represented, with the transparent garment that embossed the curves of her body (except the chest which “Stachyomazochtra” partially covers with her right hand).
Angry reactions
Women politicians, including Senator Monica Cirinnà and Democratic Party member Laura Boldrini, have taken to social media to denounce the poem’s sculpture and sexual objectification.
“Once again, we must suffer the humiliation of seeing ourselves represented in the form of a sexually objectified body, without a soul and without any connection to the social and political issues of history.”, said in a statement sent to the British newspaper The Independent, women members of the Democratic Party in Palermo.
The sculptor’s answer to the statue
“I always tend to cover the human body as little as possible, regardless of gender,” the Italian sculptor wrote on his Facebook page, explaining that if he had a choice, the statue it would be “completely naked; simply because I am a lover of the human body.”
“Since it was placed on the beach, I ‘took advantage’ of the sea breeze that moves the long dress and in this way highlights the body,” Stifano continued.
“This, to underline an anatomy that would not be a faithful photograph of a 19th century peasant woman, but rather to represent the ideal of a woman, to bring to life through imagination her pride, the awakening of a consciousness, all in a moment of great of passion “.
The unveiling of the statue was made by former Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
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