They were all afraid of appearing as unsophisticated, artistic philistines. It took a child to state the obvious. The Naked Maja is art. Two thousand exhibitionists complete with saggy tummies, cellulite, and a fair smattering of blemishes is just dumb. The reason people still flock to a Rodin exhibit or stand for hours pondering Monet, or view with pleasure Tom Thompson's northern vistas is because it calls to something within us all.
Artists normally spend years honing their craft.
It costs them time, effort, study, and in Van Gogh's case an ear. Convincing people with too much time on their hands to go starkers doesn't qualify. In today's world of instant expertise performance, art is the latest rage. Fill a room full of clocks set to different times and you've made an artistic statement. And it doesn't matter.