The Young Nude. Art Or Crime?
Among the recent headlines was one concerning a photo owned by musician Elton John. The Reuters headline was “Seized Elton photo judged not indecent”.
It turns out that the photo, from Elton’s collection, was loaned to Baltic gallery in Gateshead, U.K. to be included in an exhibit of the work of photographer Nan Goldin . The management of the gallery sought the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as to whether the photo was indecent. The photo was seized while an investigation took place.
The photo was entitled “Klara And Edda Belly-Dancing” and one of the little girls in the photo was naked with her legs spread. A censored version of the photo can be seen here (probably not safe for work).
The photo had been the subject of an investigation in 2001 when it had been exhibited in the Saatchi gallery in London as part of the “I Am A Camera” exhibition. At that time the photo was judged to be acceptable for public exhibition.
The question now was, have standards changed enough since 2001 to make the photo indecent in 2007? According to the Reuters article, “Kerrie Bell, head of CPS Northumbria’s South Unit, added: ‘In order to prove that the photograph is indecent we must be satisfied that contemporary standards of propriety are so different now to what they were in 2001, that it is more likely than not that a court will conclude that the photograph is indecent. I am not satisfied that is the case.’”
Having been a fan of photography for most of my life, and an amateur artist, this story got me thinking about the whole subject of nudity in art.
Many of the great artists of the past used the nude figure in their work. Many of these models were in their teens, many were only children. Nowadays however, we seem determined that women/girls are only allowed to be sexy if they are 18 years old or older. This ignores the fact that as little as 50 years ago, most women were married by the time they were 18.
Many contemporary photographers have used young models. Among them are Jock Sturges and David Hamilton. Mr. Sturges and Mr. Hamilton as well as Ms. Goldin have many books that are readily available online. If these artists can sell their books as well as their photographs, why are they still subject to inquiry as to the decency of their work?
If “standards of propriety” change, is it right to confiscate privately owned artwork? Is it right to file charges against the collectors who own these works? And what about the models? How old is “old enough” to decide to pose for an artist?
When I lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico I met an artist who was quite well know for his nude paintings. A neighbor of his had a daughter who wanted a painting of herself nude for her 14th birthday. Her parents asked this artist if he would let the girl pose. After much discussion between the artist, the parents, and the girl, the artist agreed to do the painting. The girl was quite pleased with the painting and, as far as I know, has suffered no long term harm from posing. The artist appears to have suffered no harm as well since he didn’t become a child molester from being exposed to a young nude.
So, when it comes to nudity, does age matter? When it comes to art, does age matter? Isn’t our opinion of nudity/sexuality based more on adolescent reaction to Playboy magazine? Aren’t most of us capable of putting nudity into its proper context? By that I mean, we are able to control our impulses and limit sexual actions to suitable partners. Do you think that all nudity is obscene, or only nudity involving children? Is there an age at which nudity becomes acceptable in art? For that matter, is nudity art? Is nude photography art?
As adults we see children nude all the time after becoming a parent. The majority of us change diapers, give baths, and dress our children and never have sexual thoughts about it. For that matter, I don’t know many parents who haven’t seen their child running around naked and envied that ability to be perfectly at ease with one’s body. If it’s possible for the average adult to view nude children without becoming a child molester, aren’t we going overboard by trying to outlaw all images of children?