I saw this the other day as well. As provocative as the title is, he then goes on to say that idealized figures such as those found in icons (Christ Baptized in the Jordan) as well as nudes from classical Greek art are acceptable.
I think it comes down to a couple of things: What you are comfortable with and what type of artist you are aspiring to be.
Professor Clayton seems to be pointing to Saint John Paul II as a warning that, at least for some, drawing the nude figure may be inappropriate and perhaps even harmful. I agree that some personal introspection should be practiced.
It is telling that, in modern America at least, nude has come to be equated with erotic. That is a shame because it hampers our ability to see beauty.
2 comments:
I saw this the other day as well. As provocative as the title is, he then goes on to say that idealized figures such as those found in icons (Christ Baptized in the Jordan) as well as nudes from classical Greek art are acceptable.
I think it comes down to a couple of things: What you are comfortable with and what type of artist you are aspiring to be.
Professor Clayton seems to be pointing to Saint John Paul II as a warning that, at least for some, drawing the nude figure may be inappropriate and perhaps even harmful. I agree that some personal introspection should be practiced.
It is telling that, in modern America at least, nude has come to be equated with erotic. That is a shame because it hampers our ability to see beauty.
One only has to think of Michaelangelo's David or the Sistine Chapel.
Post a Comment