The Ethics of the Body in Art:

subversion of the sacred and the profane in artistic practices

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33871/21750769.2026.22.1.10674

Keywords:

Art, Aesthetics, Printmaking, Performance

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between the body, the sacred, and the profane in art, highlighting how corporeality is configured as a symbolic field of resistance and transformation. The research focuses on the works of artists such as Francisco de Goya and Joseph Beuys, whose productions question and reconfigure the boundaries between the physical and the spiritual. The study is grounded in theoretical concepts from Mircea Eliade (1992a; 1992b), with an emphasis on the concept of hierophany. The methodology combines theoretical research, epistemological analysis, and empirical observation of artworks, focusing on the analysis of symbolic and aesthetic processes. The conclusions indicate that, within the context of art, the body is not only represented as a space of symbolic sacralization, but also as a means of transformation that challenges and redefines the boundaries between ethics, aesthetics, and transcendence, reflecting the tensions between the sacred and the profane in contemporary society.

 

Author Biographies

  • Stely Marchesini, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Artes Visuais – UNESPAR
    achelor's degree in Painting from the School of Music and Fine Arts of Paraná (1995).
    Master's degree in Visual Arts PPGAV-UNESPAR. Visual Artist,
    Researcher, Engraver, Supervisor of Observation Drawing
    and Practice with colors-Painting at the Engraving Museum of the City of Curitiba - Cultural Foundation of Curitiba.
  • Willian W. Bedim, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Artes Visuais – UNESPAR

    Professor de Artes na rede pública estadual do Paraná e artista visual. Mestrando em Processos Criativos Contemporâneos pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Artes Visuais da Universidade Estadual do Paraná (PPGAV-UNESPAR). Graduado em Licenciatura em Artes Visuais pela Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa (2017). Curitiba, PR, Brasil.

  • José Eliezer Mikosz, Universidade Estadual do Paraná
    PhD from the Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Program in Human Sciences at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (PPGICH-UFSC), 2009. Associate Professor at the State University of Paraná (Unespar) and Editor of the International Interdisciplinary Journal of Visual Arts Art&Sensorium. Professor in the Master's Programs at Unespar PPGAV and PPGARTES. Member of the Center for Research in Fine Arts at the University of Lisbon (CIEBA-FBAUL).

Published

2026-07-03

How to Cite

Marchesini, S., W. Bedim, W., & Mikosz, J. E. (2026). The Ethics of the Body in Art: : subversion of the sacred and the profane in artistic practices. O Mosaico, 22(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.33871/21750769.2026.22.1.10674

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