Happy Nude Year 2007 by Jennie
The very best of season’s wishes to you all, no matter what you choose to celebrate at this time of the year I hope it exceeds all your hopes and dreams.
All the best for the coming year.
Archive for December, 2007
24
Dec
Happy Holidays!!
11
Dec
Nudes are not anti-Hindu
Untitled by MF HusainQ&A: ‘The erotic has never been denied in Hindu tradition’-Editorial-Opinion-The Times of India:
Husain is not anti-Hindu. On the contrary, he is one of the few who constantly engages with Hindu mythology with bold imagination and creativity. Hindu deities have been depicted in the nude and semi-nude since at least the 2nd century AD and similarly in the texts their physical descriptions are explicit. This is because in Hindu tradition, there is a constant intermingling of sacred and profane love and the erotic has never been denied.Unfortunately, during the colonial period we imported Victorian prudery and now seem to be thriving on it. Finally, Husain’s depictions of Hindu goddesses are hardly erotic
I am so glad to see that there are people working to make inroads on this topic, it frustrates me that with such a history of openness and appreciation for the nude and sexuality there is suddenly fanatical opposition to nude art. Husain is the most famous example but there remain the students who were jailed for creating nude art and riots that have started over a knee jerk reaction to this contentious artform. I think it is a pendulum and I hope that it swings away from the fanatacism that has created so many controversies. My biggest fear is that some of the temples and carvings may be defaced as a result and I dread the thought of losing such beautiful archaeological works. While these militant views exist we cannot learn to appreciate art for what it is, especially the nude.
Technorati Tags: art, censorship, controversy, M F Husain, Nude, nudity, painting
07
Dec
New Nude: Lazy
Lazy - 20 x 8 Oils on Canvas by Jennie
I’m still working on smaller images and refining my techniques. the smaller you work, the more precise you need to be so I am learning a lot about myself, my techniques and patience. I think it is really paying off. While I have not created as many works as I wanted this year - the overall quality has improved substantially and I have to take pride in that! last year I did a lot of pieces in a rush for exhibitions, this year I’ve really been focussing more on my own work and evolving. I want to experiment more but I feel like I have the freedom at the moment to do so.
This piece was a great deal of fun. I think I am getting more confident to play with angles and perspective and I am really enjoying experimenting with new things. It’s fun to let my brain ramble the way it wants to with no set theme or concept. still nudes though, I can’t get tired of them!
Technorati Tags: art, creating art, Nude, painting
03
Dec
It all comes back to sex
Derek Sanderson by Kurt Kauper
Artist who painted hockey players nude: “Everyone assumed I’m gay.” | AfterElton.com:
The paintings are by one Kurt Kauper who is a well-known and respected artist known for his portraits of folks he’s never met. He’s also not gay. In an interview with the Boston Globe Kauper says,People didn’t really ask the question so much as assume that I’m gay. If a woman paints another woman in the nude, it would be interpreted as a painting having to do with a woman’s identity. But when a man paints this painting, it’s associated with homoerotic activity.
I think that sadly, this is true. it comes back to one of my biggest issues, gender vs sexuality. the assumption is that they are always linked and the raw fact is that they have nothing whatever to do with each other. if you believe that gender and sexuality are the same, you open up to assumptions that being gay is a choice and that everyone is naturally straight - that being straight is biological and that being queer is emotional. I wont even get started on the assumptions around the trans community. I think that until people divide gender and sexuality in their heads, ridiculous assumptions like this will always occur.
The other assumption made with Kauper’s works is that a nude is automatically sexual in nature - which then goes back to the gender debate. there are many reasons to paint a nude, and, like the quote above, it’s assumed that while women want to explore identity and body issues, men do it to look at a nekkid person. not a moment is spared for thinking that the nude could be a representation of a person’s raw emotions and vulnerabilities. nobody considers that the human body is beautiful and that it is natural to explore it - no. yet again it all comes back to sexuality and sexualization.
Technorati Tags: art, art news, artist, creating art, nudes, nudity, rant, Sexuality
