Wirral Photographer
The meaning of any nude image is dependant on it being able to be placed in a cultural context. Without that context we are left with the simply naked. In Western culture, contexts are generally recognised as art, pornography, information and commercial. However, I think these are a somewhat over simplification and one can include eroticism at least. Regarding the difference between art and pornography, the British art historian, Lord Kenneth Clark observed that sexuality is always a part of the attraction to the nude in art, also stating "no nude, however abstract, should fail to arouse in the spectator some vestige of erotic feeling, even though it be only the faintest shadow—and if it does not do so it is bad art and false morals". He goes on to say that, explicit sculpture on temples in India from the tenth century, "are great works of art because their eroticism is part of their whole philosophy". Art can contain content of a sexual nature without being obscene.
The nude, as a form of art, has a long history with-in Western culture. In Ancient Greece it was prolific and after a quieter period in the Middle Ages made a resurgence during the Renaissance with artists such as; Correggio, Baldung and Titian. Even from pre-history to the earliest civilisations, the female nude has been seen as a symbol of well-being and fertility and through each period, the nude has reflected cultural attitudes to sexuality, gender roles and society as a whole.
Nude or naked? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the definition of nude as opposed to naked are broadly the same. However, is that the case when it is in relation to art? In his introductory chapter from, The Nude: a Study in Ideal Form (1956) Lord Kenneth Clark cites an often quoted distinction that, to be naked is to be deprived of clothes and implies embarrassment and shame while a nude, as a work of art, has no such connotations.
Nudity in art has often been controversial especially when dependant on public funding and displaying in certain venues. History shows that puritan attitudes have affected the selection of artworks shown in museums and art galleries. Goya's The Nude Maja drew the attention of the Spanish Inquisition in 1815 and John Vanderlyn's Ariadne Asleep on the Island of Naxos (1808–1812) was considered too sexual for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. For an artist it can be a double edged sword with any nude being viewed as too suspect for mainstream art galleries and art critics rejecting works that are seen as not cutting edge.
The nude in photography can be traced back to the very earliest days of the invention of this new medium in 1839. Hippolyte Bayard, one of the first pioneers of the technology was the first to stage a nude body, was actually his own. This self portrait entitled, The Drowning, was shot in 1840 less than a year after the invention of photography. The controversy over nude art has intensified with the advent of photography as an art form. Many people do not see photography as art. Mostly, I believe because, as a medium, it is more accessible to the masses.
This website is to showcase my own poor attempts to explore the world of nudes in art photography. I can not profess to being a Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts or Ralph Gibson. However, I do try to explore the sensuality and beauty of the naked form. Meaning and context can be decided by the viewer. Art is always subjective and one persons opinion can be very different from another's and possibly even more so than the artist.