Satirical parody painting of President Park’s nudity

When “Olympia” by Edouard Manet was exhibited in the Paris Salon in May 1865, the nude painting met with a huge controversy by the public, mostly outrage and jeer, and the gallery was crowded by people wanting to see a glimpse of the controversial painting. Today, Olympia is considered as one of the pioneering masterpieces of the modern painting in terms of its theme and painting method. However, when it was hung in the 1865 Paris Salon, it was mostly responded with negative comments and scorn by the critics and public.

Olympia involves Manet’s interpretation of Titian's Venus of Urbino (1538). In Manet’s remodel of painting, Venus, reclining on a bed, has become a typical prostitute in Paris in the 19th century. It was a sensational painting back in the days to see naked Olympia’s gaze to the audience, which was very provocative and different from the nudity in the classic paintings.

Interestingly, Olympia is now all the rage in Korea. It started from a satirical exhibition, prepared by Rep. Pyo Chang-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, at the lobby of the Lawmakers’ Office Building. In the exhibition, “Dirty Sleep,” a parody of Olympia showing naked President Park Geun-hye, Choi Soon-sil holding a syringe and the Sewol Ferry, was displayed. The painting has been embroiled in a controversy and criticized as “anti-feminine” and “character assassination.” The painting was even damaged. Lawmakers of both ruling and opposition parties expressed their deep regrets that Pyo had crossed a certain line. To deal with unexpected criticism from the public, the Democratic Party decided on Monday to refer Pyo to the party’s ethics committee.

Pyo has been called as “Moon Jae-in kids” after he joined the party following Moon’s request before the 2016 general elections. “This is not less than a sexual harassment, and Moon will win more hearts of voters if he blames Pyo over this painting,” Ha Tae-kyung of the ruling Saenuri Party wrote on his Facebook page. Moon expressed his regret over the exhibition. “Art is an expression‎ of artist’s free will and it should be respected as it is. However, a painting of president’s nudity is inappropriate to be displayed at the National Assembly. In the art sector, criticism and satire are important, but dignity and moderation are what matters more in the politics,” Moon said. Shin Dong-wook, the husband of Park's younger sister, said, “Moon Jae-in killer is not me or Ban Ki-moon, it is Pyo Chang-won.” Shin’s accounts could be a hurtful blow to Moon.