Spectrum of desire

Jo Livingstone | 4Columns | 21st November 2025

If you think of medieval art as purely religious, you are missing some of the story. Sex and desire was a “multifaceted” concept that frequently appeared in devotional images. Experiences did not divide neatly between spiritual and secular. Gender was a fluid concept. Medieval thinkers thought “Christ was a mother to humanity”. Lust, a no-no if purely carnal, was acceptable if part of devotional practice. Just as in our time, “there is no defence against desire, and desire continually disrupts”.