nudity... where is the line?

[nickystixx]

there is a lot of nudity in art, and has been forever. lately I have seen a lot of photographers taking really explicit photos that are sometimes very provocative. when do you think it go from being art to pornography? where is the line with other mediums besides photography?

[kmc286]

Perhaps the lines lies within the viewer. However the viewer sees the art is what determines the reaction whether is be provocative or not. I think that is half the fun of viewing art. On one hand, the artists is trying to convey his/her point of view, but the audience that sees it is participating just as much by applying his/her own lens in interpreting. What one person may think is highly sexualized, another may think is tame. Just like almost everything is art, it's all relative.

[KZizo]

I do agree it may mostly rely on the viewer but I personally feel pornography is more a video medium now a days instead of one still image. The arts may have brought about this change.

[ANG1124]

The dispute of where to draw the line when it comes to nudity for art and pornography has been a conflicting topic for centuries. It really stems from the interpretation. Many feminist theories refer to this as the male gaze. Many would agree that the numerous Renaissance era portrayals of Venus are artistic and beautiful however at the time they were created this was not always the case. We have learned to be more and more comfortable with nudity through media and progression over time however this often leads artist wanting to still push the boundaries of that comfort level. Art is often a means to make a statement and nudity is definitely a popular way of doing so. What it really comes down to is that art is meant to sometimes make us feel uncomfortable and the human body truly is beautiful in every way so yes i do think the more explicit art is indeed still art and it likely makes us feel the same way that what we consider acceptable did to people a thousand years ago. It is all just relative to what we are used to and how we interpret.