Michelangelo to Banksy: The Controversial Artworks That Fell Foul of the Law—and Were Erased
Why Read This
What Makes This Article Worth Your Time
Summary
What This Article Is About
Kelly Grovier examines Banksy’s recent mural depicting a judge violently attacking a protester, which appeared on London’s Royal Courts of Justice on September 7 and was partially erased three days later as alleged criminal damage. This contemporary censorship connects to centuries of art suppression, from Renaissance precedents like Giambologna’s biblical sculpture of Samson wielding a jawbone to modern street art. The whole history of image-making is punctuated by episodes of restricted viewing and suppressed expression, from 8th-century Byzantine iconoclasm to present-day erasures.
The article traces this pattern through landmark cases: Michelangelo’s Last Judgment fresco, whose nudes were deemed “exciting to lust” and covered with loincloths by Daniele da Volterra following the Council of Trent’s 1563 edict; Frans Floris’s altarpiece permanently mutilated by Protestant iconoclasts in 1566 Antwerp; Goya’s Two Majas seized by the Spanish Inquisition and sequestered for decades; and Honoré Daumier’s lithograph Gargantua, which landed the artist in prison for satirizing King Louis-Philippe. Grovier concludes that sometimes what isn’t there—the ghostly traces of erased art—proves more enduring and powerful than what remains.
Key Points
Main Takeaways
Banksy’s Mural Joins Censorship History
Banksy’s September 2025 mural depicting judicial violence was partially erased within days, reported as criminal damage under the 1971 Criminal Damage Act.
Michelangelo’s Censored Masterpiece
The Last Judgment’s nudes were deemed indecent after the Council of Trent’s 1563 ban on lasciviousness; Daniele da Volterra added loincloths that remain today.
Protestant Iconoclasts Destroyed Floris’s Work
In 1566 Antwerp, reformers permanently mutilated Frans Floris’s Fall of the Rebel Angels altarpiece, destroying side panels for violating laws against idolatry.
Goya’s Majas Seized and Sequestered
The Spanish Inquisition confiscated Goya’s revolutionary nude and clothed portraits in 1808 for breaking decency laws, keeping them from public view until 1836.
Daumier Imprisoned for Political Satire
Honoré Daumier’s Gargantua lithograph satirizing King Louis-Philippe as gluttonous led to six-month imprisonment and destruction of the printing stone for inciting hatred.
Erasure Creates Enduring Power
The article suggests that partial erasures and ghostly traces sometimes become more indelibly inscribed in cultural consciousness than complete artworks ever could.
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Article Analysis
Breaking Down the Elements
Main Idea
Art Censorship Spans Centuries
Throughout art history, controversial works have been systematically suppressed, erased, or modified when they violated legal, religious, or moral codes enforced by authorities. From Byzantine iconoclasm through Renaissance religious restrictions to modern criminal damage statutes, the story of art is routinely “copy-edited by the powers that be.” Banksy’s partially erased 2025 mural represents the latest chapter in this ongoing tension between artistic expression and institutional control, suggesting that erasure itself sometimes amplifies an artwork’s cultural significance and enduring power.
Purpose
Contextualizing Contemporary Censorship
Grovier aims to situate Banksy’s mural erasure within a rich historical continuum of artistic suppression, demonstrating that contemporary censorship repeats patterns established across centuries. By examining specific cases—from religious prohibitions against nudity to political punishment of satire—the article reveals how different power structures (ecclesiastical, governmental, judicial) have consistently targeted art that challenges their authority. The piece ultimately suggests that attempts at erasure often backfire, creating cultural martyrdom that preserves controversial works more powerfully in collective memory than physical survival alone could achieve.
Structure
Contemporary Hook to Historical Survey
Contemporary Example → Historical Precedent → Chronological Case Studies → Reflective Conclusion. The article opens with Banksy’s recent mural and its rapid erasure before introducing Giambologna’s Renaissance sculpture as historical precedent. It then proceeds chronologically through landmark censorship cases: Michelangelo’s 1541 Last Judgment modified in 1563, Floris’s 1566 destruction, Goya’s 1808 sequestration, and Daumier’s 1830s imprisonment. This structure moves from present to past, then forward through time, before returning to contemporary speculation about Banksy’s fate and the paradoxical power of absence.
Tone
Scholarly Yet Accessible Critique
The tone balances art historical expertise with journalistic immediacy. Grovier writes with authority about Renaissance iconography and legal history while maintaining accessibility through vivid descriptions and contemporary relevance. There’s implicit critique of censorship throughout—describing Volterra’s work as “deft disfigurement” and authorities’ actions as works being “copy-edited by the powers that be”—but it remains analytical rather than polemical. The concluding reflection on erasure’s paradoxical power strikes a contemplative note, suggesting philosophical depth beneath the historical survey.
Key Terms
Vocabulary from the Article
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Tough Words
Challenging Vocabulary
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The quality of expressing or arousing sexual desire in an offensive or indecent way; lustfulness or lewdness that offends standards of decency.
“The Council of Trent’s decision in December 1563 to prohibit works of art that were ‘adorned with beauty exciting to lust.'”
The action of spoiling the appearance or shape of something; damage that mars or destroys the original form or beauty.
“The result is a deft disfigurement of Michelangelo’s original vision.”
Ceremonial garments worn by clergy or officials during religious services; robes or other clothing used in liturgical contexts.
“Daniele da Volterra was hired to fit the fresco’s naked figures with loincloths and vestments.”
Distorted, bizarre, or unnatural in appearance or character; comically or repulsively ugly or distorted, often combining human and fantastical elements.
“Floris’s fantastical Fall of the Rebel Angels depicts a saint casting out a swarm of grotesque demons.”
Excessively greedy or consuming, especially regarding food; characterized by habitual greed or excess in eating or acquiring more than needed.
“Daumier’s work portrays King Louis-Philippe as a gluttonous giant who ravenously consumes the wealth and resources of his poor subjects.”
In a way that cannot be removed, erased, or forgotten; permanently or unforgettably marked or impressed upon memory or consciousness.
“Whether his controversial mural will find itself, through its partial erasure, more indelibly inscribed in cultural consciousness, remains to be seen.”
Reading Comprehension
Test Your Understanding
5 questions covering different RC question types
1According to the article, Daniele da Volterra’s modifications to Michelangelo’s Last Judgment fresco remain in place to this day despite later restoration efforts.
2What distinguishes Goya’s Two Majas from other artworks discussed in the article regarding their fate after legal action?
3Which sentence best captures the article’s thesis about the pattern of art censorship across history?
4Based on the article, determine whether each statement about the fate of censored artworks is true or false.
Frans Floris’s Fall of the Rebel Angels survived intact because Catholic authorities protected it from Protestant iconoclasts.
Honoré Daumier was imprisoned and the lithographic stone used to print Gargantua was destroyed to prevent further distribution.
Goya’s revolutionary paintings depicted a contemporary woman gazing directly at viewers, unconnected to historical or mythological narratives.
Select True or False for all three statements, then click “Check Answers”
5What can be inferred about the author’s view on the relationship between censorship and artistic impact?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The Council of Trent’s 1563 decision emerged during the Counter-Reformation when the Catholic Church was responding to Protestant criticisms and attempting to reform from within. Church authorities believed that religious art in sacred spaces should inspire spiritual devotion rather than carnal desire. Michelangelo’s Last Judgment, with its muscular nude figures, was seen as potentially distracting worshippers from contemplation of divine judgment toward worldly physicality. The prohibition reflected broader anxieties about propriety, the role of beauty in worship, and maintaining distinction between sacred and profane artistic expression.
Goya’s paintings violated conventions by depicting a contemporary, identifiable woman in sensual poses—both nude and clothed—gazing directly at viewers without mythological or historical justification. Traditional nude paintings typically portrayed goddesses, biblical figures, or allegorical subjects, providing moral or educational context. Goya’s contemporary subject matter combined with the woman’s direct, confrontational gaze suggested sexual agency and presence rather than passive objectification. This revolutionary approach challenged both artistic conventions and moral codes, making the works particularly threatening to authorities concerned with maintaining decency standards and preventing what they viewed as pornographic material.
While the French government destroyed the lithographic stone to prevent further official distribution, they couldn’t eliminate copies from the first print run of La Caricature that had already circulated. More significantly, the image’s popularity inspired reproduction through alternative means—cheap woodcuts fashioned from the design kept it in secret circulation despite official suppression. This demonstrates how compelling political satire can persist through informal reproduction networks even when authorities attempt complete erasure. The image’s survival illustrates the limits of censorship when controversial art captures public imagination and becomes part of underground cultural resistance.
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This article is classified as Intermediate level. It requires readers to follow historical comparisons across multiple time periods and cultures, connecting specific censorship cases to broader patterns of artistic suppression. The vocabulary includes art historical terms and legal concepts like “iconoclasm,” “sequestered,” and “anti-sedition laws.” Readers must synthesize information about different artists, authorities, and outcomes to understand the article’s thesis that censorship paradoxically amplifies cultural significance. While the writing remains accessible through concrete examples and narrative detail, grasping the full argument demands comfort with abstract thinking about power, art, and historical continuity.
The article suggests that erasure can create cultural martyrdom, making suppressed works more memorable and significant than they might have been otherwise. Banksy’s “grey ghost” left after partial removal may become more “indelibly inscribed in cultural consciousness” precisely because of attempted suppression. Censorship generates controversy, public attention, and symbolic meaning beyond the artwork’s intrinsic qualities. The act of suppression itself becomes part of the narrative, transforming artworks into symbols of resistance against authority. This paradox means that while physical erasure removes material presence, it simultaneously creates powerful absence that resonates through collective memory, often more effectively than complete preservation.
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