An Essay on Nudity vs. Pornography and It’s Relation to My Own Work

Let’s start with the dictionary in order to get quickly to some universality in definitions. The dictionary I’m using is Webster’s New Seventh Collegiate.

Pornography is short and susinct: “1 : the depiction of erotic behavior [ as in pictures or writing ] intended to cause sexual excitement 2 : pornographic material”

Nudity is a bit more complicated and relates to several synonyms including: bare, naked, nude:
“bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental or dispensable… Lacking clothing… open to view : exposed.”
“naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution or defenselessness, or simple beauty…. not covered by cloths: nude…”
“Nude applies to the unclothed human figure and commonly lacks special connotation… adj.: 1: lacking an essential particular 2: devoid of covering : naked; esp : unclothed syn see bare… noun: 1a: representation of a nude human figure b: a nude person 2 : the condition of being nude [ in the nude ] ”

There is a basic intentionality to pornography it is to “cause sexual excitement.” The nude is is more neutral, a description really, that “may imply a state of nature… or simple beauty… unclothed human figure and commonly lacks special connotation… ”

My work is not pornographic and does make use of nudity for aesthetic and expressive purposes.

Classically art has dealt with the human body in all it’s history. Starting with the cave paintings nude hunters were depicted alongside “nude” animals. Throughout the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome, the Renaissance in Italy and Europe, to the Academy of the 18th and 19th Centuries the nude human figure has been a core image. Even today it is still with us in almost every serious art program. The reason is that the human body is said to have in it every form, shape and relationship that can be found in nature. So a thorough study of the human figure gives the student that experience and understanding of form and shape so crucial to a well tra}}ined artist. Sometimes the figure itself becomes the major subject matter of an artist’s work . My art is such an expression. Each week I work from a nude model and some of those works expand into finished works and sometimes even paintings.

In our particular American modern times nudity can become entwined with pornography. In truth I do not see the connection. I’ve spent extended time in Europe, a much more mature culture than ours, where there is a definite divide between the two and I concur wholeheartedly with their view. However, it us up to each individual to make up their own minds about the appropriateness of a particular image for themselves. If my images, especially my drawings, are offensive to you, please avoid them. My intention has been label everything clearly on my web page so you can easily control just what you would like to see. I wish no offense and am open to all opinions.

May you enjoy my work.