This portrait of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is not quite as flattering as you might think.
Brooklyn-based street artist KATSU, who painted Zuck’s likeness (above), did not achieve this glowing sepia tone from an Instagram filter. Nope. He utilized his own feces to pop out this painting. Yup.
It’s no surprise that an artist associates Zuckerberg and poop. Facebook has caught much flack in the past couple years from the art community. Since its inception, the social media giant has identified artwork with nudity as pornographic and removed this “offensive material” from their website.
This puritanical view of art and the human form has artists and art lovers alike with their panties in a bunch. It’s time to wipe that shit eating grin off your face, Marky boy, because your outlook on nudity in the art world seriously stinks.
Origin of the World by Gustave Courbet at the d'Orsay Museum
In 2011, French schoolteacher Frédéric Durand-Baïssas posted a photo of this infamous painting by Courbet on Facebook. Shortly after, admins removed the photo and suspended his account for violating their community standards. Durand-Baïssas was pissed, and he promptly took Facebook to court. Four years later, he is still fighting The Man, demanding that Facebook pay him over $22,000 in damages.
Until just a few months ago, Facebook did not allow any images of genitals or female nipples, unless the woman is breastfeeding or just had a mastectomy. Zuckerberg and crew has censored art featuring the good ol’ birthday suit and has denied women the same rights as men to pose topless in photos. The feminist in me just cringed a little.
By Stephanie Nelson via Instagram
While Facebook now claims that they will allow nudity in paintings, photographs, and sculptures, the line between high art and the art of the banality of life can be quite fuzzy. With everyone claiming to be a photographer, and social media being the main platform through which it is shared, who is to say what art is artistic and what is just another set of ta-tas with a nice Instagram filter over it?
Unlike Facebook, we at Sartle love a good nip slip. Please enjoy some of our favorite nip slips in art history. Unless you’re Mark Zuckerberg, in which case, shield your eyes immediately.
Death of Cleopatra by Guido Reni at the New Palace Potsdam
Cleopatra is so flat-chested here; Facebook might actually let this one fly.
Girl with a White Dog by Lucian Freud, Tate Modern
This is one of my favorite paintings by Lucian Freud, Girl with a white boob…ehm, I mean dog.
Odalisque with Red Culottes by Henri Matisse at the Georges Pompidou Center
Lounging around and letting it all hang out.
By: Jennifer
Contributor
Facebook and most social media is a scourge on society. Stop promoting it.