Stephen Colbert explored his own networks censorship rules on The Late ShowThursday with regard to nudity in art. After Bloomberg TV had to blur Modiglianis Reclining Nude while discussing its $170 million Christies auction sale, the late-night host experimented with CBS own limits on art and porn.
Yes, too racy, Colbert joked after showing the Bloomberg TV segment on the famed work. They blurred the portrait, which was a huge relief because for just one moment, I thought someone had accidentally smudged it.
He then discussed all the ways the news has recently de-titilated art before turning the gaze on his own network by explaining the limits of what pieces of art he can and cannot show on The Late Show. While he cant show the Modigliani, he can show Botticellis Birth of Venus and raw, uncensored Georgia OKeefe. For Michelangelos statue of David, Colbert can only show a distant picture of the David for a total of two seconds.
The host took it a step further and drew two circles with dots and called them female breasts, which then got blurred on-screen until he turned it into a face. Until all this controversy over whats too racy to be called art is settled, I should probably play it safe and stick with whats allowed on network TV: police procedurals where they stack up dead hookers like cordwood.