New Nude – Shade

the light is interesting and I’d like to play with the pose some more but there were elements that were a real struggle, especially on such a small surface that are probably marring my observation of this painting. usually when I’m a little too close to a piece, if I work at it rather than getting into a zen state, I find it hard to separate out the work from the finished product. and that isn’t to say that I don’t eventually fall in love with the pieces that took effort or that the zen pieces are better in some way, I just find it harder to distance myself from the pieces my mind was actually present for.

From the mouths of Babes – Bill Henson from the Children’s perspective

Another of the Nude Teen Pictures under debate by Bill Henson .A local paper, from Bill Henson’s old stomping ground Northcote, took a different tack in this case by interviewing local children and seeking their opinions on the controversy…. I remember those days all too clearly and I think that it’s important that no matter whether you agree with the works or not, whether you accept the models choices to pose, take a moment to appreciate the bravery it took and the strength they must need to stand tall in the face of this controversy…. And while the students had concerns about the impact of the work and the ability of young people to give consent, they also defended the right to freedom of expression in art. “I think you should look at art for being art and stop focusing on the negatives,” Mutinta said.

Apologies

Slump 12 x 12 Oils on Canvas by Jennie Rosenbaum I think my phplist went a little haywire this weekend. I was creating my newsletter mailings as I usually do and it crashed and I think in the effort to try and fix it I may have sent out multiples of the same newsletter to people…. it seems to be one issue after another after another and I’m just not sure I can keep it up – it just looks so unprofessional.

friday nude quotes

We must see to it that the man looking at the picture has at hand everything he needs to paint a nude. If you really give him everything he needs — and the best — he’ll put everything where it belongs, with his own eyes. Each person will make for himself the kind of nude he wants, with the nude that I will have made for him.

Small Works 2008

Rosy 12 x 12 Oils on Canvas by Jennie Rosenbaum I will be showing my paintings again this year in BSG’s Small Works exhibition. I would love to attend but apparently my newfound stair climbing prowess is still not good enough to tackle the enormous schlep on those stairs. I’d love to hear about the exhibition from others and to see photographs if anyone manages to get some!

Just because it’s a Nude doesn’t mean it’s Porn

Picture by the Daily Telegraph And just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s not art. the key debate in the Bill Henson controversy is whether these images are pornographic…. there are some strange, strange people out there, but that I don’t think that these pieces are sexual in any way…. There are those out there who are insisting that because it’s a nude, it’s sexual and because it’s sexual, it’s pornographic and therefore illegal.

Declaration of war against art?

He has also been accused of committing offenses under section 2 of the prevention of Insults to National Honour Act on account of certain paintings of Hindu Deities and naked Bharatmata.

…We have full faith in American Democracy but at the same time your democratic system will not glorify such a accused person who has no courage and respect to comeback to his motherland and justify his act of creating indecent Art, which can be equated only with that of infamous Denmark cartoonist who is also hiding himself.

…I am delighted that the site that has published this letter and the protest details has also included a list of all of MF Husain’s more ‘offensive’ paintings .

tarring all nudes with the same brush

due to one explicit example that made it’s way onto the new ‘discover an artist’ feature that randomly includes artist’s images from all over the site, there is now a demand for site-wide censorship of nudes. Some have said that they should be kicked from the site entirely, others have said that they should just only appear in searches, not on the front page, Some are saying that there should be an adults only section, and others say that they should be blocked to non members…. I believe my works are family friendly and if Boundless gives into this they will be pandering to the notion that all nudes are wrong, evil and always sexual in nature .

controversial nudes sell

In a letter to Christie’s, the Indian American Intellectual Forum, which has joined hands with Hindu Janjagruti Samiti on the campaign against Husain, said the artist has gained ignominy and notoriety in India by painting several Hindu gods and goddesses in derogatory forms…. Let us suppose for a moment that I understand the position on the Hindu extremists in India who are responsible for the exile of an artist…. Not content with already exiling the artist they now feel a need to try to make him a pariah in other countries – especially one that is well known for it’s laws on freedom of expression, speech and religious freedom.

New Nude

Currently Untitled 20×24 Oils on Canvas byJennie Rosenbaum This is a quick piece I did to relax from working on the blindfold of the other. I was working on loosening up my hand and technique and keeping it light. to me this seems very much like something done in life drawing class. I don’t know…