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.
The seizure of the photographs, and the possible prosecution of Mr Henson, the Rosyln Oxley9 Gallery or the parents of Henson’s subjects, takes up valuable police and court time that would be much better spent pursuing those who actually do abuse children. [From Open letter in support of Bill Henson – National – theage.com.au ] Around the country, while some galleries are cravenly pulling their Henson pieces out of their collections and off the walls other galleries are standing firm and standing up for freedom of artistic expression…. Mr Savill, like many of his art industry colleagues, was appalled when police last week confiscated photographs by Henson – one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists – and decided to hang the picture beside an Arthur Boyd nude, “to remind people that nudes have inspired artists for centuries”.
[From Art, not porn – Opinion – theage.com.au ] I have been thinking further about the issue of sexualization of teens in art. I think if the case against Bill Henson were to go through we will start to see extreme limitations in the freedom of expression and artistic freedom…. [From Art, not porn – Opinion – theage.com.au ] I agree with this, by trying to anticipate what might turn a pedophile on we may be stepping into their shoes and thereby, not only destroying our own view of art, but possibly ruining the experience for others…. we can stop trying to predict them, stop trying to anticipate what they might find titillating and risk damaging freedom of art and expression, the reputations of renowned artists and focus instead on making sure our children are safe and educated.
One of the Controversial works by Bill Henson Photograph from the Age Officers raided the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, in Paddington in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, just before the exhibition was due to open on Thursday night…. The raid, and the prospect of an artist facing criminal charges, has reignited the debate about what constitutes art. [From Law Society backs nude child pics artist – Breaking News – National – Breaking News ] I have been so angry about this whole mess that I haven’t been able to write coherently till now…. the police raid and seizures, the statement by Prime minister Kevin Rudd that these works are ‘revolting’, the galleries that are also pulling Bill Henson’s works from their collections or the constant newspaper articles referring to these artworks, by one of Australia’s premier artists, as ‘”art”‘.
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.
Or I could mention the market fluxes such as the fact that Lucien Freud is huge in the market at the moment, that his works have been seeing a surge in prices in the past few years – but what I really want to talk about is the feel of this work and why it is actually beautiful rather than ugly…. he pointed out every flaw, every shred of humanity and forces us to acknowledge that – but to also see that that reality is what is beautiful, those flaws are what makes her a person and that as a person she is beautiful. he is saying look at this woman, she isn’t perfect, she has her flaws but she is a work of art – every person holds within them a work of art because we all have beauty.
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.
But from a moral point of view, no parent would want their children to be taught about nudity at school,” Colditz said…. what a delightfully general comment – “no parent would want their children to be taught about nudity at school” first off, haven’t the children already been taught about nudity?… one presumes that if these kids haven’t heard of nudity or seen it in some form by the time they get to school, well there is certainly something very wrong.
The previous record was for “Hanging Heart,” a painting by Jeff Koonz that sold for $23.5 million, said Rik Pike, a spokesman for Christie’s. [From Overweight nude sets art world record – CNN.com ] A life sized painting of a plus size model has now set the record for the highest price paid for a work by a living artist…. The model, 51 year old Sue Tilly, met Freud in a nightclub 20 years ago and has modeled for him on a number of occasions.
Shri Parvati by MF Husain ” The allegations made against the painter are baseless and it would not be proper to hold that he had a deliberate intention to manifestly insult Bharat Mata,” Justice Kaul said after reasoning that nudity is part of contemporary art. Husain’s nude paintings of Bharat Mata, as well as those of other Hindu gods and goddesses had created a furore resulting in several threats from right wing groups like VHP and Bajrang Dal, following which he is living in self-imposed exile in Dubai. “A painter at 90 deserves to be at his home – painting on his canvas,” the judge said quashing proceedings in three cases against Husain, and added that “it is most unfortunate that India’s new ‘puritanism’ is being carried out in the name of cultural purity and ignorant people vandalize art.” [From Delhi HC quashes obscenity case against MF Husain-India-The Times of India ] In a brilliant show of justice, the obscenity charges against Maqbool Fida Husain have been formally dropped…. I have covered the travails of MF Husain on this blog numerous times, not only as an example of extreme reactions to nude art but of how we are becoming more reserved and more tightly puritan .
Jennie's Palette 