The Personal Meaning and Symbolism of Nakedness

As a species we’re extremely good at exploiting things. This can be both good and bad.

A tool or resource can be used for many different applications and has the ability change the way we live and even evolve. As an example, one of the first iterations of the computer (the Turing machine) was built to crack secret Nazi codes. Now that computers have developed, they have become integrated into almost every part of our daily lives in both negative and positive ways. Practically every aspect of life can now leverage this invention that was once only there to defeat bad guys.

Nakedness is no exception to this potential for exploitation. Some leverage it to reproduce, to attain pleasure, to gain money, to feel secure, etc. None of these things are inherently bad, but none are necessarily good either. It can go either way depending on how we use it.

Because I use nakedness as the subject of my work I try and challenge myself with trying to understand what it means to me. Of asking whether or not I’m using it appropriately and to figure out why I’m drawn to it.

I can say it’s not about sex (not in a direct conventional sense anyway), because that work gets boring and usually leads to artistic dead ends. If it was simply a motivation to be around as many naked women as possible (which is what most assume), then treating models like Pokémon (gotta catch ‘em all!) would be the aim. I don’t collect images of models though. In fact, I’ve found that I usually prefer working with my wife, because it’s easier to accomplish what I’m looking for. Even after eighteen years of shooting with Hannah I’d rather create something with her nine times out of ten. This is because we’re on the same page. But, what page is that? What is the goal?

I remember when my appeal with nude art began. While looking at the figures in Matisse and Stieglitz’s work as a kid, I saw something beyond the shapes. I can see now it was the beginning of an idea that was pushed deep into my brain. I saw a theory or conjecture about a part of life I thought was beautiful and I wanted to see if it was real. I wanted to see it more.

The figures seemed confident despite their nakedness and the shame that naturally surrounds it. They opposed convention, not out of anger, but out of a sense of something true or deeper. They stood exposed. Not because it was easy (I’m sure it wasn’t), but because of a conscious decision to not hide despite the instinct.

Not every model is compelled by these notions of course. I could even be accused of romanticizing the situation as it’s even probable that most weren’t motivated by such principles. It also feasible that the artists presented a demeanor that wasn’t really there. Despite these possibilities we can conclude that being motivated by these kinds of values is better than merely following the impulse to make money. Though the ends are the same, the means change things. Interpreting the acts of these models as something brave doesn’t alter the history, but it says something about human nature and a potential reality. This is why the thought that Georgia O’Keeffe posed for Stieglitz because she believed in art is better than thinking of her as simply being hungry for fame. If the ideal is possible and desirable, then it seems this is what we should strive for.

With this impression I’ve realized that nude work, for me, is about the conceivable power of the individual. As a result, it’s also about the responsibility we have to lead. Literally and symbolically, the naked subject stands in front of the world despite their flaws. They don’t forgo the pressure, but, instead, become a counterargument and assert an alternative to how we can be. An embodiment of an ideal. This is, perhaps, how the naked can become the nude (to use Kenneth Clark’s terms).

So, if the nude can be a symbol of the potential impact of the individual in the face of stagnating conformity, what are the beliefs/dispositions/attitudes that become necessary to create this person? Is it desirable for us to garner this attitude?…to stand naked to the world? It's not to say that our imperfections, the flaws in our humanity, are desirable, but it's the realization that we don't have to be perfect in order to add something meaningful in our short lives. The mentality of accepting our nakedness seems to be a necessary step to achieve a kind of peace and freedom.