Tasteful, classic nudes only

[Peter Dransfield]

So is titled the Nude forum. Klimt and Schiele are just two artists who come to mind (there are hundreds of others) who would not be able to post their work on this forum. How is this in the interests of Art?

[Julie Deane]

Good question. My take on it is that since this is a private forum for a professional website business, the artists abide by the rules of the owner.

[Peter Dransfield]

Originally Posted by Julie Deane

Good question. My take on it is that since this is a private forum for a professional website business, the artists abide by the rules of the owner.

And I fully intend abiding by those rules but that does not mean that the wisdom of them cannot be questioned and discussed given the importance of the nude and eroticism in art.

[Debra Jones]

If you are deliberately trying to be distasteful, I will assure you it will be removed. If you doubt the motives, test them. BUT keep in mind this is a classical portrait forum. In the whole digital world there are many fora that will happily view and coach with less restrictions.

I have been witness to so many wars about free speech online and so many of the speakers forget that none of this is free. The owner of the site is shelling out dough to provide us the opportunity to meet here. In so many cases, the posters desire to change the format to fit their needs.

Among the participants there are plenty of opportunities to email correspondence and have private discussions. Online there are more classical groups, more illustrative groups, more technical groups, and I am quite sure there are more "tasteless" groups that have no such structure. Not a judgment call, just a euphemism.

Opening the doors to this concession (nudes) is actually pretty liberal! I regret that they closed the Animal Portrait section but understand why! I have found a good little group, not so high on the broader professionalism scale, but very productive and suitable to my own needs.

Cynthia has put out many fires and kept it civil here, The conversation among personalities that you recognize online make a much more worthwhile give and take, but the single thrust of this forum make it easily managed and much more useful to its goal.

If a less than tasteful nude portrait was commissioned, that would be a whole other matter.....

[Peter Dransfield]

Amusing but hardly relevant.

[Michele Rushworth]

On the contrary, Peter, I think Debra's post was highly relevant. Especially this part:

In so many cases, the posters desire to change the format to fit their needs.

It has been the decision of Cynthia Daniel, the owner of this Forum, to keep to what in her opinion are "tasteful, classic nudes". That doesn't include what you refer to as "eroticism". There are plenty of other places on the internet for that.

Posts that cross the line have created firestorms of controvery, which the moderators (myself included) got tired of putting out.

[Peter Dransfield]

There may well be practical arguments limiting what style of nudes are posted but it is a limitation that cuts off a good deal of what is real and conversely includes much that may be superficial and that is a real issue. It is probably more than 20 years since I have painted a nude so it is not a burning posting issue with me but when you consider Degas, Renoir, Klimt and Shiele all of whom produced their greatest nudes in less than classic poses I do wonder what we might be missing in the work of artists here. What is the reason for the limitation - practical or misplaced morality - I would like to understand?

[Debra Jones]

Portraiture.

[Michael Georges]

Primarily because it is a portrait site, dedicated to portraiture first, and figurative works - nude or otherwise - second. Thus, the desire to not create a large category of work that would take the focus of the forum off portraiture.

[Peter Dransfield]

That may or may not be an argument for having a Nude section in the first place but since it is there........

I can think of very good examples of Klimt's work as well as of Shiele that pass muster as portraits better than many of the 'classical pose' nudes in the section here but would not be accepted because they are not classical poses. I suspect that prudishness is at the root of this rather than what is relevant to a portrait site and if so then that is a shame.