Many readers of this blog are
aware of its presence on Facebook. I
regularly post links to the articles here on Facebook as well. Unfortunately, this is not without
restrictions. Facebook’s approach to
nude art is, to say the least, archaic.
My presence there, and along with it the presence of the LEICA Barnack
Berek Blog was recently threatened with being banned if any nude art would be
shown in the future. Subsequently I have
refrained from that and only shown altered images that comply with Facebook’s
rules. That should by no means be misconstrued
as agreement with those rules.
Historically, the human form
has fascinated artists probably more than any other subject. Therefore it
should come as no surprise that the same fascination has extended to
photography as well.
Original Facebook sanitized version
While photography has
generally been accepted as a valid art form, photography of the nude to this
day is struggling with that recognition.
People are very quick to point to nude images being harmful to children,
but then fail to come up with a valid answer.
I definitely reject the
assertion that any of the images published on this blog are potentially harmful to children. We are talking about the human form here, not some pornographic
distortion of it. Why is it that photography is always handled differently in
this regard than other forms of art. Is anybody requesting museums to post
warning signs for their exhibit’s that show images or statues depicting the
human form? Are such sculptures in public places required to do the same? I am
a member of MIA, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. I regularly see groups of
school children visit the place, as a matter of fact, they regularly have a
special children’s day. There are no restrictions as to which areas of the
museum are open to the children, including the photography exhibits. Apparently
there is no potential harm to children in a museum or in public places, yet
nude photographic art is still widely rejected.
Why?
Are these images objectionable?
Should they be banned from Facebook?
I have never been able to get
any satisfactory answers if these rules by Facebook extend to other forms of
art as well. Is it permissible to show a
picture of Michelangelo’s David, or of the Venus de Milo?
Objectionable images?
From a recent Matisse exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of art.
Objectionable?
I must emphasize that the key
word here is art. Many of the great
photographers have produced fine art nudes like Alfred Stieglitz, Edward
Steichen, Edward Weston, Man Ray, Helmut Newton…, just to mention a few. Of course, just as with other art forms, some
like Robert Mapplethorpe or Jeff Koonz, for instance, have pushed the envelope by
producing images that are questionable to some, but such work should not be
generalized and held against other serious photographers.
As it stands right now, I
could not write an article about any of the above mentioned artists and show
any of their nude art on Facebook. Their
unilateral rejection of nude art is disturbing, not only to me but to many
other members of Facebook as well.
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LEICA Barnack Berek Blog PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
For more information click here
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Comments left on Facebook:
ReplyDeleteSpyro Zarifopoulos: So stupid...
Ketil Are Haugsand: ....!!!!! Thank you enthusiastically for your no-nonsense argument - I couldn't agree more!!
Renate Kummerer: Molto bella
More Facebook comments:
ReplyDeleteNitram Rebuhlegov: once I studied the "pathologia sexualis" by Krafft Ebbing. Such an attitude is a good example for a puritane Psychopathology
I am glad you wrote this article. You expressed rather eloquently what I have been thinking for quite a while already.
ReplyDeleteThis has been discussed in the past, and I don't recall any comments that were in favor of Facebook. I guess they rather cater to the puritanical dimwits among their members than to display an attitude that fits into the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteMartin Fisher wrote: I certainly see nothing objectionable on this blog. It seems that some people have difficulties to distinguish between art and porn. Must be the result of living in a rather puritan society. As far as depicting nudity in public, places like the Sistine Chapel and just about any rococo church should be added to the discussion also because based on Facebook rules, it cannot be shown because it depicts nudity.
ReplyDeletefschaper wrote:
ReplyDeleteThere is a long list of examples. For instance, Lady Justice is often depicted nude or with her breasts exposed. This has been done for centuries. For example, Lucas Cranach the Elder created a painting called "Gerechtigkeit als nackte Frau mit Schwert und Waage" (Justice as a naked Woman with Sword and Scales). It is displayed in a museum in Amsterdam. To my knowledge, nobody has ever been harmed by viewing this piece of art.
Rick Tardiff wrote on Facebook: Strange rules indeed. its a pity FB doesnt hold the same "high standards" when it comes to publishing "trending" comments from internet trolls claiming to have political or ethical insight fueled by talk radio and cable news! They are disgusting, full of hatred and intolerance! Instead they come down on man's eternal obsession with light and the human form. I wonder what zuckerberg and his hooded sweatshirt brigade thinks of Courbet's L'Origine du monde?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I find it disturbing that pictures and videos depicting violence are totally uncontrolled by Facebook as well. I wonder which is more harmful to kids?
DeleteMalcolm Lind wrote: Very well said.
ReplyDeleteAndreas Prandelli commented on Facebook: Freedom of artistic expression...no bigotry or stupid puritanism. No more to be said
ReplyDelete