For those of you who have never heard the name before, or perhaps did but forgot, Joseph Bara is to the French what Nathan Hale is to the Americans. Only difference is that Hale was 21 and Bara died at the age of 13. Come to think of it there is one other difference. For some strange reason in art Joseph Bara is often depicted stark raving nude. Seems an odd way to paint or sculpt a kid who you are trying lionize.

But even stranger is a painting I came across by the preeminent painter of the French revolution, Jacques-Louis David. David painted the young hero Joseph Bara as a nullo. Here is the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mort_ ... G_2266.JPG

So what's going on? Why paint a boy without genitals? Was Bara really a eunuch?

If you look closely, he has a penis. His genitals are tucked between his legs. I have no idea why he's depicted nude.

Slammr (imported) wrote: Sun Mar 27, 2011 2:33 pm If you look closely, he has a penis. His genitals are tucked between his legs. I have no idea why he's depicted nude.

I don't know Slammer. Your eyes might be better than mine but he looks pretty smooth to me. Besides, who tucks their genitals away like that when they are busy dying? Maybe we could take a vote.

Jean Joseph Weerts also painted a picture of Bara's death, this one clothed.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... e_Bara.jpg

Transward

It's pixilated. They didn't want to get in trouble with Madam LeFarge.

My best guess is that David pictured him naked to show his vulnerability and showed as little genitals as possible to avoid eroticizing the image. --FLO--