Naked Body In Genesis

In Genesis, the naked body is something considered to be ashamed of by Adam and Eve, but not “bad”. The bodies of Adam and Eve were created and given by the Lord God, which is a pure and good being. In the Sarcophagus of Junius and Bassus, we can find Adam and Eve in a lower section between two columns. The reliefs of them are both looking down in a contrapposto position, holding a fig leaf with two hands to cover their own genitals, standing on two sides of the tree, in the opposite direction with no communication with each other. This narrative representation coincides how Eve was described in Genesis, being really ashamed of her naked body after they ate the forbidden fruit on the tree of knowledge. This shame was derived from their sin
of breaking God’s rule, instead of the body itself. Therefore, it also proves the idea of that body is not bad.
However, in the Erotes, the body is approached in a different way. The Aphrodite of Knidos, sculptural representation of Venus, who is the goddess of love coincides what is described in the text. The visitors can appreciate the glamor of the sculpture, which represent the beauty of goddess from any angle. The sculpture of Venus also stands in a contrapposto position, but different from that of Eve. It shows more elegance and beauty in this sculpture. She used only one hand to slightly cover her private part, which actually drew more attention from viewers. The life-size scale of the sculpture gives visitor a greater sense of the goddess presence.
In both texts and both art pieces, though body has been represented in different ways, they all proved the idea that body is not bad.