Too rude? Speech part 3: nude models and artistic merit.
Part one and part two have already been published. This is the third and final part of my 10 minute speech for Sydney University’s Tuesday Talks program. Frequent readers may recognize some passages here, I couldn’t improve on them!
When I initially wrote about the Bill Henson scandal a number of people told me that I would feel differently once I was a parent. As if that would change who I am. I am proud to say that i am now the mother of a little girl and my views have not changed. I believe, as I did then, that if she were approached by an artist to be a model I would support her. That isn’t to say that I wouldn’t do my due diligence on the artist to ensure they were on the level, and I would be there with her. But the decision is not mine, it would be hers.
One thing that struck me about the model known as N, the adolescent in the image seen on the invitations that caused much of the furor, is that when interviewed she discussed all the considerations she made before modeling. She considered how she felt about her body, how she may feel about school mates seeing her in the nude and how she might feel about it years later.
The most important thing to realize is that what you take away from viewing an artwork is not just what the artist puts in, it’s what you bring to it as well.
Your past affects it as much or even more than the artist’s intentions.
Everyone sees art differently which is why it is difficult to judge, and why it should never be stifled.
artistic merit should not become a goto excuse for pornographers, that harms us artists more than anyone – but it must be allowed. we cannot create under a blanket of censorship and we cannot be the artists we need to be without freedom to create. art has the power to challenge our views, to make us think and and to change the world. I believe that the arts are one of the most powerful forces of humanity and should never be denied.
There is a difference, too, between sexual and sensual. There are as many shades of gray as there are stages of undress. Art can be arousing. It should be arousing. It should inspire passion. Not just sexually, but in all things. Arousal and passion are not just the pervue of sexuality, but of life. And art is life
Suspension WIP – 24×30 Oils on Canvas (detail)
Suspension Work in Progress
Oils on Canvas
Filigree and Lace and Cogs oh my. I’m keeping the lace lighter and airier than last time, a contrast from the steel filigree goggles and the heavy cog above it all. This was last weeks work, blocking in the background, glazing details and starting the massive cog undertaking. the figure is almost complete, it’s really about the detailing now. I have yet to use any black, a complete change for me. deeper tones have been blended using umbres and paynes gray or ultramarine. they are creating some very alive warm and cool blacks. I’m paying a great deal of attention to temperature in this piece, even more than I usually do, as it seems that slightly different hues go a long way towards making metal look convincing.
I have a lot of projects coming up at the moment, so while I will be continuing this series (I do love it so!) I will be working on some other things as well.
Too rude? Speech part two – adolescent nudity in art
Part one is here..
These days the nude appears to have become more controversial as the line between nudity and sexuality has been blurred. The prevalence of porn and sexualized images In the media have led to an automatic association between nudity and sex. A belief that nudity is dirty, wrong, and disgraceful. All of this has led to nude art being pushed to the back corner, far from being the classic and honored subject of artists everywhere.
There is no image of vulnerability more powerful than that of a naked child. Take for example the iconic Vietnam Napalm photograph. Would this picture have as much impact if she was an adult? If she was clothed? The image of her running down the street, naked and screaming, is real, it’s powerful and it’s become a symbol for the horrors of war everywhere. This photograph won the Pulitzer and world press photo of the year.
A nude child is the image of vulnerability, of change. It automatically triggers protective instincts. Good art has the power to move us. It inspires emotion.
Would Bill Henson’s works be as emotive if the children were clothed? if they were small breasted adults? His works capture a moment in time. A fragile period in a teen’s life. These works make us empathize with the subject, I have heard abuse sufferers consider them both triggering works and uplifting and encouraging. Other see a coming of age, loss of innocence. fragile, strong. Whatever you see in this work you cannot deny that it has an emotional impact and that is the purpose of art.
The scandal with Brook Shields and the Gary Gross/Richard prince photographs is another good example. Gary Gross took photographs of a pre-teen Brook Shields for a magazine. These works were highly sexualized, with brook painted with oil and makeup. They were exceptionally adult, and in very poor taste. Brook shields did not get a say in modeling for these works, nor how they were used later on. Many years later Richard Prince took a photograph of the original Gary Gross, then changed it. The final work was seedier and turned the original on it’s ear. Where the first seemed to celebrate child pornography, the Prince version used the same image to condemn it. It still uses a sexualized image of an adolescent, but by using that image to make the viewers uncomfortable it made an excellent point about not turning a blind eye to child pornography.
Suspension WIP – 24×30 Oils on Canvas
Suspension 24×30 Oils on Canvas
So I have begun the massive process. the work is further along than this now, but I have been slack in photographing and uploading my WIPs. I’m too busy working to catalogue it all! we have also started putting up a ceiling in my studio. this should help protect against the australian summer, and protect my neighbors against all the singing and swearing that emerges from my studio.
Too rude? Speech part one – my work
As I edited my speech from last week for posting, I realized it was way too long for a single post! This is the first part, about my work. I was introduced beautifully so I only needed to discuss my work itself. Some of these phrases will form part of my new artist statement.
“My artwork explores the nude figure. I find the human body to be a marvel, not just of engineering and design, but also of poetry and emotion. I am endlessly fascinated by what lies beneath, beneath clothes, beneath the layers of pain and beneath the masks we wear.
Nude Art is our history. It is our expression and our drive. It shows our growth as human beings and our evolution emotionally.
I mostly paint women. Strong, elegant and emotional, I capture different aspects of what it is to be a woman. I have been drawn to a difficult arena as censorship grows and fear over the nude body reaches fever pitch.
That is why I have dedicated myself to debunking myths about nude art. I want to show the world the beauty I see in the human body and share my firm belief that nudity is not threatening, it is not always sexual and it is here to stay.”
Friday nude quotes
to be nude is to feel at one with your surroundings and comfortable with your natural self.. to be naked is to feel the cold and loneliness and fear …
To sydney and back again..
Yesterday I had the great joy of presenting on a panel at Manning Bar in the beautiful Sydney university. As part of the verge arts festival and the regular Tuesday talks program the topic was Too Rude? Nudity, art and adolescence. I was honored to be invited and delighted when they offered to fly me out for the event! this was my first time flying since the accident and I was nervous to be out and about without my carer and husband not to mention being away from my little girl! I am also Not a Morning Person so you can imagine my trepidation going forward.
I have to say, everyone was delightful. From Virgin Australia and their meet and greet program for special needs passengers, to Tui at the university, Joanne and Amy the other panelists, the wonderful cabby who raced to try to get me to my flight on time, the wonderful woman at virgin who did not charge me for a whole new ticket but only a small fee (the guy in front of me was not so lucky, he was being rude, I think that makes all the difference!) and Liam and Erica for being very patient with me though the whole thing!
I generally have a great fear of public speaking so I kept expecting the fear to set in. but it never did! I was prepared but not over prepared and I knew my subject backward and forward as I’ve been writing about it for years! I felt good about the way I spoke, I didn’t stutter and only let a couple of tiny ums out. the only unfortunate thing (apart from missing my flight..) was that it was a magnificently sunny day and so the crowd was much less than expected. That’s a shame, but I can’t be too sorry as I really did enjoy myself immensely!
I will edit my speech and put it up for reading next week.
Russet – Nude steampunk painting
An uneasiness has been plaguing me for a few weeks since I pronounced this painting complete, an unpleasant nagging. It wasn’t until I took a few days away from it that I worked it out.
So here it is revised. Same painting, but with some new improvements that just make it better overall.
Friday Nude Quotes
How can he remember naked paintings and not remember you’re supposed to keep your shirt on in public?
Kvothe – The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Why being obsessive produces better art
The more I get absorbed in this complex steampunk series the more I wonder about my obsessive tendencies and artists in general.
Recently, I’ve been having a hard time painting, something was gnawing at the back of my mind. Like a face I couldn’t put a name to it was elusive and irritating.
Something was Not Quite Right in my last painting. The geometry of the gear was off. I didn’t like the model I chose to begin with and have since gotten some better gears, so I decided to redo from start. Or at least, redo the gear.
Just the act of making this decision was galvanizing. suddenly I wanted to be in the studio all the time again! On a roll, i also decided to revisit the gold embellishments on the bustle, to bring them into the shadows better and connect the shapes more. I painted furiously, and it has paid off. A little obsessive prod that was poking me has subsided. The itch stopping me from continuing to the next painting, that was thawing doubt up in the way has passed and I am fired up and ready to continue.
Sometimes obsessiveness can harm a piece, it can lead to overworking and losing a sense of motion, spontaneity and immediacy that draws people in.
Flip 3 – nude steampunk Daz studio render
Flip – Daz Studio 4 Render
I just can’t get enough of this pose style and set! I think I am going to have to do a triptych.
Lately I have been obsessed with viewing a pose from lots of different angles. translating the same thing into different images and differing moods. I think this is something I will explore further as I progress.. Sometimes we only focus on one side of things. It’s good to get the whole picture.
And one of the benefits of 3D is that you can!
Figure: Victoria 4 *free*
Character: Reby Sky
Morphs: Morphs++ NGM for V4
Wings, Helmet, Harness, Boots and Hair: Apteromata Flight
Textures: Acherontia Atropos Flight
Friday Nude Quotes
‘I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I’ I said …’But that doesn’t make any sense… Women are naked in paintings. People buy paintings, don’t they? Women pose for them.’
Kvothe – The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Flip 2 – steampunk Daz render
Flip – Daz Studio 4 Render
I love this pose so much I just have to keep playing! It’s odd how something changes with the angle. At the moment I am doing some watercolors and exploring the same pose from different angles, it’s really fun to see how much mood can change.
I will probably start posting those next week.
Figure: Victoria 4 *free*
Character: Reby Sky
Morphs: Morphs++ NGM for V4
Wings, Helmet, Harness, Boots and Hair: Apteromata Flight
Textures: Acherontia Atropos Flight
Is obsessiveness a good trait in an artist?
I seem to have a hard time working on more than one painting at once. I can work on more than one of a different media, and will sometimes have watercolors on the go as well as an oil painting, but I can’t seem to paint more than one oil painting at a time. I get so obsessed with this one work that I have to see it through to the end. I play the same album on loop for the duration of most pieces (I feel sorry for the neighbors!). I can’t change to new brushes in the middle of a work and I lose it if something interrupts me while i’m working. I’m a very obsessive painter.
every time I try to put a piece aside to sit on while I work out what’s needed, or to dry, or to work on a deadline, I get stuck. Like something pulled between two equal forces I cannot move forward or back. And then I stop and feel lost and blocked.
My studio is being set up so that I can have a few easels running at once. I love this idea, I can see it so clearly. But I worry that my obsessive tendencies may prevent me from working as I should. I need to have multiple pieces happening. I need to be able to work on more paintings, to produce salable works while I paint the exhibition pieces. To just let things dry once in a while! I need to get past my obsessiveness and move on.
Flip – Daz Render
Flip – Daz Studio 4 Render
and.. because the last piece wasn’t complex enough I’ve thrown another spanner in the works. oh yes it’s raining fiddly bits here! I’ve been dreaming of the day I could get this harness and wingset, I’ve been planning works against them coming on sale. then they did and I pretty much had to spend a few weeks rendering my ideas. tell me if I’m crazy! I’m mildly worried about working with such a recognizable product in the 3D universe but you cannot deny the compelling delight of these wings!
if I’m not around much at the moment now you know why…
Figure: Victoria 4 *free*
Character: Reby Sky
Morphs: Morphs++ NGM for V4
Wings, Helmet, Harness, Boots and Hair: Apteromata Flight
Textures: Acherontia Atropos Flight
Friday Nude Quotes
We did extensive test marketing and truly believe that the public has an insatiable desire for this particular body part. After years of predominately featuring younger actresses going nude, the baby boom generation is excited to see a vagina it can relate to
Suspension – Daz Render
Suspension – Daz Studio 4 Render
I’m going insane! a gear and lace – I don’t know what I’m thinking, but I’m so excited about this piece! it’s going to test my geometry skills to the limits but I think when it is done it will be a very interesting painting. I’m pretty psyched. I’ve been doing some other work this week, watercolors, some backlog things, and working on my geometry skills! this is requiring a bit of planning to get exactly right. but I have the canvas and I am getting all geared up.
hehe.
Figure: Victoria 4 *free*
Character: Reby Sky
Morphs: Morphs++ NGM for V4
Goggles: M4 Steam Cowboy
Hair: Scarlet Nights Hair
Boots and Cravat: Scandalous for V4
Gear: Steampunk Cogs and Gears 6 *free*
Friday Nude Quotes
His drawings of the male nude are incredibly sensual. You get the feeling of his hand all over the body. If all we knew about Michelangelo was his drawings, he would still be hailed as a genius.
Bad things come in groups- farewell to some modern masters
This has been the year for losing iconic artists. These things come in threes, and I hope we have done our dash. M.F.Husain, Cy Twombly and now Lucien Freud. Two of these artists I have discussed on this blog, one at length. That doesn’t mean I don’t admire Twombly’s work, just that it didn’t fit into my niche. Edit: I started this post last week, since then we have also lost Margaret Olley. I guess the rule of threes leaves something to be desired.
These artists have taught us all about solidarity, about production and about being a truly great artist. Here is what I have learned from these greats:
1. Paint, paint and paint some more.
All three artists were extremely prolific. They did not get to the level of success they had without painting constantly and diligently.
2. Paint what you want to paint.
Each one received ridicule and derision at some point for their works, technique or subject matter. They rose above it. Nothing was more important than the art.
3. if you don’t like your situation, change it.
Move, change your allegiance, don’t wait for change to happen- be the catalyst for change.
4. Respect your peers.
Respect other artists, pose for them, inspire them as they inspire you and don’t fear giving back.
5. Know the rules- then break them.
Once you know the rules, you know what you should, and should not do. You know how to bend them and even how to break them. If you don’t know the rules, you risk breaking them in the wrong way. There’s so wrong it’s right and so wrong it’s wrong- the difference is knowing the rules.
These work for all careers, not just for artists. The art world is lesser for these losses.
Friday Nude Quotes
Many celebrities have appeared on the cover of Playboy, but not nude, including Claudia Schiffer, Paris Hilton, Goldie Hawn, Raquel Welch, Barbra Streisand, Brooke Shields and Donald Trump.
Friday Nude Quotes
A lot of people in California garden in the nude, but there are naturists all over the country.
National Classification Scheme Review – respond today!
Today I filed my responses for the review. I urge you to do likewise. this is the review that will determine if artists need to seek classification about their works. it’s the one that determines if we get censored internet and it’s the one that may allow us to get more games. the conservatives are responding in force, but we aren’t getting many responses from the arts and people who oppose censorship. please, show your support. you don’t have to answer every question, you don’t even have to type out giant paragraphs (like I did) just be heard. show your opinion and let the review board know that you oppose forcing artists to classify their works before exhibiting.
On 24 March 2011, Attorney-General Robert McClelland referred the National Classification Scheme to the ALRC and asked it to conduct widespread public consultation across the community and industry.
The review will consider issues including:
existing Commonwealth, State and Territory classification laws
the current classification categories contained in the Classification Act, Code and Guidelines
the rapid pace of technological change
the need to improve classification information available to the community
the effect of media on children and
the desirability of a strong content and distribution industry in Australia.
your response is due by 5pm tomorrow. please take 5 minutes to respond today.
Gears – 30×20 Oils on Canvas
Gears 30×20 Oils on Canvas
$1000
I’m not quite sure what I want to title this, it appears I will be doing more gears and cogs so Gears (the working title) may not be appropriate – other thoughts were Russet and Pedestal. what do you think?
I really am loving the Steampunk Burlesque series, I’m pushing everything to the hilt and improving with each piece, they are lots of fun and a huge challenge. I’m planning an exhibition of these pieces so stay tuned for further details!
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