A Driving Question

Is nude art good?

This may seem like an odd question for someone whose work revolves around the figure, but its what lies at the heart of my practice. Just as some hold the existence of a God as an unreflective given, most creatives start by assuming the answer to the question is an obvious yes. Though I may personally reach the same conclusion, I don’t believe the assumption is as justified or obvious as many think. In fact, I’ve found plenty of people who have contradictory reasoning for the praise or admonition of nude work. It's a subject that is fraught and hardly anyone comes up with good explanations as to why this is. Most blame cultural training or taste. And though there’s some validity to these reasons they hardly account for how viscerally divisive the subject is. Avoiding the topic all together is what seems most civil, but doing so insinuates there is a lack of value in the tradition. Despite the thousands of years of it being around, why don't we see it hanging in anyone's homes?

The answer to the problem is complicated, which is also why it's worth pursuing. Things like, how we define personhood and how we identify as a self are all tied up into answering why there is so much anxiety around the topic. This is what drives me though and this is why I'm enthralled by the subject itself. By answering why nude art is good, the value can become evident. And though it may still not be for everyone, we will be able to see the deeper philosophical beliefs that are necessary for its appreciation.