What makes nudity "artistic"

~PinupLad Jul 3, 2012 Student Traditional Artist

Two forum posts in one day...i'm on a roll!

My last post asked how to get noticed on dA and I was given an incredible about of info. Thanks again to all those who chipped in. But it was one post that a friend of mine wrote that mentioned he was surprised that I didn't have many views because I draw alot of pin-up. And it was this that made me start thinking.

What in your opinion constitutes as "artistic nudity"? I am no stranger to drawing nude cartoons and sexual content, but I have seen random people post up pictures of their wives, husbands, girl and boyfriends, just seemingly for the sole purpose of showing off or getting views. When others mention that it doesn't belong on this site, they always mention that "art is different from person to person".

And this is true, but this also means there is a different meaning to what is art to different people, and this is mine. I believe that art is something that requires effort and talent to create and share. Photographers don't just take a picture of a model and call it art. They follow elements of design, lighting and posing. Even on a basic level, they follow the "rule of thirds". And one who draws or paints, even on a rudimentary level is trying their best to express and improve. I may draw pin-up girls, but I spent alot of time and resources just to get to the level I am now. And I am not unique in this for most deviants.

This is just a minor thought and is not written to out any particular deviants. I merely want to know what you think. I look forward to what you write.

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Devious Comments

~scrumpleberry Jul 8, 2012

Mix of purpose and perception. It's tricky. I mean some people think that a lot of porn - er, sorry - "erotica" is artistic. If people haven't put a lot of effort into their work and are just posting to see if people think they/their work looks sexy, OR if it's not saying anything radically different or contentious to what the people who are observing it would want or expect then I personally don't think there's any artistic merit in it. But that's a pretty simplified way of looking at it.

*YusakuJon3 Jul 8, 2012 Hobbyist Artist

For me, to apply the term "artistic" to nudity, one has to avoid getting into that trap whereby the subject is reduced to pornography. There's a very fine line in that, but the DA FAQs pretty much make it clear that anything showing sexual stimulation and the explicit depiction of the sex organs in action itself is prohibited. Therefore, I can have a full frontal nude where the "naughty bits" are visible but not being touched or manipulated in any way, and it can be considered artistic. However, if I were to go from that to having the subject (in this case, a girl) stroking herself in full view so that we could see what was being rubbed, then it becomes porn.

Keep in mind that this tends to become a sticking point for many people. Things have changed over the years so that there'll always be those who view their art as "artistic", while others will even view some of my borderline stuff as "smut". As long as you read the FAQs, you should be able to determine for yourself where you don't want to go here on DeviantART.com.

~subversions Jul 4, 2012

It's notoriously difficult to define 'art' objectively - and maybe increasingly so, as it becomes ever easier for practicaly anyone to create images.

I think most people would say they can tell the difference between a trashy webcam snapshot and an accomplished portrait, yet it's almost impossible to state exactly what distinguishes one from the other. I guess it's a combination of elements - including pose, lighting, background and overall composition - but it's still hard to say where the line should be drawn, or whether something is genuinely 'artistic'.

Basically, as a Supreme Court judge once said of pornography, "I know it when I see it."

~PinupLad Jul 4, 2012 Student Traditional Artist

I do believe if someone really wanted to take an "artistic" shot, they would look up some basic techniques in order to make the pictures half way decent. I do admit that seeing a random shot of some guys junk or a half assed shot of a pair of breasts taken with a phone cam somewhat irritates me as I believe these pictures can do better good on an adult site and not one that has actual artists trying to get known. That being said, is a drawn version better off then their 1 megapixel cousin? It would depend on how much effort they put into the actual image. Though this is merely belief.

But as you quoted before, "I'll know it when I see it".

~Glori305 Jul 3, 2012

Eye of the beholder.

What I consider artistic, my mother considers "going too far" and I think she is prudish. But really, we are both right, because it is our own limit.

Now, there are plenty of "artist nudes" out there that have nothing artistic about them. That are poorly lit, poorly composed and in some cases shot with a low end cell phone camera.

~ShadedCorners Jul 3, 2012 Professional General Artist

The word "Art" literally means "practice" (hence "the art of painting," "the art of photography," etc).
So for me, art is something that is being done, being practiced. It can be practiced poorly, which means it's not developing or growing or evolving, but it is still being practiced!

That being said, I don't think art is necessarily about improving skills just for the sake of improving skills. Artists have certain ideas and images in their heads, and they have to find a way to say/display them. For some artists (like myself), the things I want to say really require honing my artistic abilities. Another artist may just want a picture of Ash from Pokemon, so tracing a picture of Ash is enough. The idea is out, it's been 'spoken.'

But for me, I still feel like my art isn't 'saying' what I want it to. So I train and study, and study, and study, and weep over my old drawings, and study, and study, and probably weep some more. For some odd reason, not everyone feels the need to do this.

Huh...

I think art is a matter of pursuing something that doesn't exist and trying to make it exist. Some ideas take more skill than others... does that make them more artistic? Not really.
It does, however, tend to make them more unique, because the more an artist pursues their ideas, the more they discover their own voice and style.

Nice question! I enjoyed thinking about my answer

~PinupLad Jul 4, 2012 Student Traditional Artist

Very nice answer! Well written and thought out. Heh, we even have the same method of improving.

~ShadedCorners Jul 4, 2012 Professional General Artist

~shininginthedarkness Jul 3, 2012

People who draw are not necessarily trying their best or improving, I'll throw that out right now.
Bad snapshots have as much artistic merit as bad drawings. And both have a place on this website, IMO.

~PinupLad Jul 3, 2012 Student Traditional Artist

I can understand what you mean except one aspect. Why would anyone do anything they like without the drive to improve their skills?

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