courant.com | Has Nudity Become Passé?
“I don’t know where it is that you can’t see nudity if you want to see nudity. We have so much more access to nudity than ever before,” said Jeanine Basinger, founder and curator of the Wesleyan University Film Archive. “So where’s the shock of it all? In a society that has everything hanging out all over the place, it’s not that interesting.”
So, when is nudity interesting? In what context is it powerful?
“When it’s for beauty,” Basinger said.
Indeed, art (and the inherent beauty of art forms) remains the most vivid example of nudity’s ability to move artistic mediums to new levels.
I think this article is quite compelling. I have had concerns over the nature of nudity and whether we are becoming too jaded. Admittedly, my work is not designed for shock value, it’s more a beauty and sensuality thing, but if we lose our wonder at seeing things then that can only be detrimental to art. When we are bombarded with images, we start to filter them out in our heads, if that starts to happen with nudity - will we miss out on some of the great pleasures in life? (like a good perve?)
On the flip side, it is a good opportunity for artists to create images that stand out, to try to change the impressions brought to us by the mass media. as the filters start growing there may be more room rather than less for broader images of nudity, an opportunity to stand out from the plasticized perfect images to provide the reality that audiences crave..
What do you think? is readily accessible nudity a detriment or a benefit for nude artists?
