Nudity in Art: Acceptable vs Pornographic

OK, first let’s look at nude vs clothed to address the quotes by Michelangelo, then we’ll take a look at the subtleties that push nude art into a questionable area of eroticism and pornography.
Here we have a comparison of Pablo Picasso’s art. We’ve got a clothed painting on the left and a nude drawing on the right. They are both created in the same “monumental” style, similar pose, and same subject matter. The only major thing that is different is the lighting, but it’s not enough to create a bias.

So, which one is more interesting? Was Michelangelo right? I think he was. I find the nude much more interesting than the painting on the right. How about you? So even though these are considered abstract paintings, the abstract nude is more interesting than the clothed one.

Here’s a comparison of Gregory Crewdson’s photos, where the one on the left is clothed and the one on the right is nude. Both have similar poses, environment, mirror reflections and lighting. Yet, most of us might find the nude one more interesting. Hmmm.

Is this nude photo pornographic? Not at all. But why not? Let’s keep digging to find out!

Here’s a couple of images by Alfred Cheney Johnston. The one on the left is clothed and the one on the right is nude. Both are artistically done, but which one verges on the “naughty” side? It’s the nude one this time, but why?

This question leads us to pose, which is one of the major things that can determine an acceptable image vs a pornographic one. We can see the difference a pose makes in this comparison of Annie Leibovitz photos. The one with Cindy Crawford on the left has a modest pose, while the one with Lady Gaga on the right has an erotic pose. There’s a story in each image, just like the Crewdson photos, but the one on the right is considered erotic because it’s meant to arouse us…even though it’s actually showing less of each breast.

So yes, pose is huge! And if we’re wanting to control the way our art is perceived, we need to be aware of it.

Here’s a great example of a modest pose. The statue “Capitoline Venus” shows Venus coming out of the bath and covering herself. Modest poses don’t have to be this unrevealing, as long as there’s not a portrayal of flaunting.

Here are some more modest poses by Irving Penn.

Now that we know the pose has a lot to do with the way the image is perceived, let’s view some more. This comparison of David Bellemere’s images should be obvious. The pose on the left is modest, while the one on the right is more erotic. Both are lit well and have their own finishing approach (see Day 122), so we can see how the overall mood of the image doesn’t change the perception as much as the pose does.

Again, we see David Bellemere with a modest pose on the left and a more seductive pose on the right.

Here’s another great set of images by Alfred Cheney Johnston. Notice how the pose on the left is modest, while the one on the right is perceivably more erotic. Still not sure how to determine which one is more erotic? Are both acceptable in your eyes? Well, try the cubicle test. Which one would be worse to hang up in your workplace environment, or have a screensaver on your computer? The one on the left is covering most of the body parts and has that “shy” feeling, while the one on the right is more exposed and has a “come get me big boy” feeling.

The context of the image can play a role in the way people perceive the nude art as well. Take this comparison of photos by Annie Leibovitz. Both can be considered modest poses, but the one on the right might be perceived as erotic because she is laying on a bed. So, if there is a bed in the scene it might suggest or arouse sexual desires.

Here’s another example with paintings by Paul Gauguin where we have modest poses, but the full bed on the right might be a little suggestive.

In this Alexandre Cabanel comparison, we have a bed on the left, but her pose is not revealing and the women characters in the scene tell us that it’s just a bunch of girlfriends hanging out. The painting on the right, though, has Venus sprawled out in an erotic manner.

Here’s a nice comparison with Thomas Kennington paintings, where both poses are modest, but the context is different. On the left, we have something more innocent in nature, while on the right we have a nude female sitting on fur which is more sexually suggestive. Other props or garments like lace or fishnet stockings might also overpower a modest pose and push it to the erotic side.

In this Picasso comparison, we see that the female on the left is exposed more than a typical modest pose, but the context is innocent. She’s just fixing her hair in the mirror with her friend. Much like the Cabanel, the context helps the way we perceive the nude. The poses in the painting on the right is more erotic…even though it just looks like some girlfriends hanging out by the ocean.

I looked back at some of my nude photos after writing this article and realized that I was capturing modest poses for the most part, but I did recently capture a pose that could be perceived as being erotic.

In the image on the left she is covering up and is in nature, but on the right she is exposed and thrusting her head back. She’s in nature as well, but the pose is more suggestive.

Let’s take a look at more master paintings and photos to compare modest vs erotic poses. The images on the left will always have the more modest pose, while the one on the right will be questionably erotic. See if you can notice the difference in pose and context.

William Etty

William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Peter Paul Rubens

Michelangelo

Amedeo Modigliani

Lucian Freud

Jules Joseph Lefebvre

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Herbert James Draper

Henri Matisse

Euan Uglow

Egon Schiele

Edgar Degas

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

Paul Cezanne

Alfred Cheney Johnston

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso