cache-sexe

Definitions

noun An article of clothing sufficient to cover the genitalia, primarily as used by an exotic dancer or in certain aboriginal cultures.

Borrowing from French, from cacher ("to hide") + sexe ("genital organ(s)").

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Leo Steinberg wrote that famous article in October 25 years ago about “The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and in Modern Oblivion,” in which he offered an explanation for a crude fact about Renaissance painting that had baffled so many for centuries, why it is that, in painting after painting, the genitals of Christ on the cross, as well as baby Christ in the manger, are often bizarrely showcased and foregrounded—so much so that later generations would sometimes paint a discreet cache-sexe over the offending items.

Archive 2008-10-01 Dodie Bellamy 2008
Leo Steinberg wrote that famous article in October 25 years ago about “The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and in Modern Oblivion,” in which he offered an explanation for a crude fact about Renaissance painting that had baffled so many for centuries, why it is that, in painting after painting, the genitals of Christ on the cross, as well as baby Christ in the manger, are often bizarrely showcased and foregrounded—so much so that later generations would sometimes paint a discreet cache-sexe over the offending items.

Kevin Killian: What I Saw at the Orono Conference 2008, part 23 Dodie Bellamy 2008