"L'Origine du monde" [the origin of the world] is a painting by the French artist Gustave Courbet in 1866. I imagine there are a great many ways to think about the painting, its history and its subject matter.
I have noticed recently that in speaking about human males in mixed company that references to distinctively male anatomy do not faze the men but can shock the women. Just as the tiny mouth of some very large, heavy people is in sharp contrast to the entire large body it supplies, so the small area occupied by the male-est organ as opposed to the whole body is in sharp contrast to that area's importance to us all. Again, for women, the subject of the male-est part of a male body is likely to be of some interest, although I imagine for some others, it is repulsive or frightening.
Somehow, the other night, we got on the subject of "being hung like a horse." My wife told the story of a group standing around in fascinated silence at the zoo, staring at a fully aroused male elephant. Our observant little daughter shouted out, "Look, Mommy, that elephant has two trunks!" The group burst into laughter. I wondered if the cute little grandson in a picture we were admiring was hung like a horse. My question provoked a shocked gasp from some of the ladies.
When you think about the body and its demands as well as those of civilization, you can see why it is that each of the sexes makes use of equipment in the genital area several times a day in the handling of elimination of liquid waste. So, within each sex, the same equipment that figures so largely in making babies is a commonplace tool. Yet between the sexes, it is a matter of mystery and in many cases, especially for males, the opposite group's sexual/urinary equipment is VERY arousing, moving, enticing, exciting, etc. Thus, the existence of paintings such as the "Origin of the World" by Courbet.
For men in the sexually ripe time of life, the painting does indeed show a focus, maybe, THE focus of life. However, beyond that angle, and before you get too down on Gustave Courbet, remind yourself that aside from sex or the creation of babies, we were all babies and did actually all of us come from this origin of the world.
