Nothing\nfalls out of the air, not even divine inspiration – especially for a student\ntrying the work on a hot and lazy summer afternoon in Amsterdam.  I climbed on my bike and cycled along the\nAmstel river towards the Tuschinski theatre close to the Rembrandtplein. This\nbeautiful art deco theatre was founded by the Polish tailor, Abraham Tuschinski\nin 1921. I was drawn by the red poster featuring two entangled bodies. The\nfilm, Le sentiment de la chair <\/em>was\nshowing – and the words, when I said it out loud had this poetic rhythm and\nwarmth. I was curious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nwas not an easy movie to watch and some people walked out.  H\u00e9l\u00e9na Onelli (Annabelle Hettmann) is studying\nmedical illustration. Her fascination with anatomy extends to a rather strange\nenthusiasm for finding potential flaws in her own physiognomy, inside and out. Getting\nsome unnecessary X-rays, she attracts the interest of young\nradiologist\/lecturer Beno\u00eet Govian (Thibault Vincon) who does not find anything\nwrong with her.  Their mutual interest in\nhuman anatomy leads them to a torrid love affair. H\u00e9l\u00e9na asks Beno\u00eet to go\nfurther in his exploration of her body and the lovers have no limits in their\nintercourse. Her need to keep pushing the boundaries of physical exploration\nboth erotic and clinical awakens something in Beno\u00eet. H\u00e9l\u00e9na’s capability to\nmemorize every detail of Beno\u00eet’s body and Beno\u00eet’s irresistible curiosity to\nuncover the ‘interior’ secrets of H\u00e9l\u00e9na’s body, even using a MRI scanner lead\nthem to a dangerous journey with no limits…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At\none stage professor Beno\u00eet remarks that \u201ca\nthousand painters died not knowing the sentiment of the flesh. Many more will\ndie not knowing<\/em>\u201d. This is a reference to French philosopher and art critic,\nDennis Diderot, who wrote Essay on\nPainting<\/em> in the eighteenth century. He maintains that the realism in a\npainting derives from form and that life originates from colour and writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\nhas been said that the most beautiful color in the world was this lovely\nredness of innocence, youth, beauty, modesty and chastity…for indeed flesh is\ndifficult to render; this unctuous white, even without being pale; this mixture\nof red and blue which imperceptibly perspires. This is blood and life which\ncreate the colorist\u2019s despair. He who has acquired the feeling for flesh [le sentiment de la chair<\/em>] has progressed\na lot; the rest is nothing in comparison. Thousand painters have died without\nknowing flesh; thousand others will die without feeling it\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driving\nback on my bike, disturbed but also intrigued, I thought \u201cthis is what theology\nshould strive for \u201c \u2013 a sentiment for the flesh. Many theologians have died\nwithout truly knowing flesh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\naim of my research since then has been to open \u201cdeeper and deeper inquiries\u201d\nwithin theology regarding the body and to explore how the body and the\nexperiences of the body can serve as a \u201cgrounding source of knowledge\u201d in\ntheology. The quest is for a theological anthropology that can reflect a deeper\nunderstanding of the rich and complex dimensions of bodily life. The quest is\nfor a theological anthropology that has this sentiment of the flesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See\nalso: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OC3PICgtTY0<\/a> and <\/p>\n\n\n\n