IS THE NUDE OBSOLETE

Speaking of subjects artists have used for generations, the nude has fallen into disuse.

Now why should this happen? There are a number of reasons, some more compelling than others, but the effect is the same; the nude has gone into hiding.

Traditionally the nude figure has been the first course of study for art students. Drawing the nude figure helps the artist gain an eye for anatomy; understand perspective and master the art of shading so that objects take on a three dimensional look. With all of that to offer, why has the nude fallen out of favor?

There is a strange but pervasive notion running through modern society which says, “I don’t want my office/living room/study cluttered with people I don’t know.” Time was when the very first indication of success was commissioning a portrait from a famous artist to hang…on the living room wall. Now we shudder and think to ourselves “Only Donald Trump would have such an out of control ego.”

But if we are too modest to hang our own portraits, what of the simple scene with people going about their ordinary tasks? Nope, no peoples on my walls and that seems doubly true for business. The offices of doctors, lawyers and dentists may teem with wildlife, burst with pregnant landscapes and lumber under the woodsy loam of forest scenes, but please no people.

Then there is the specter of porn. Oh I know, none of the nudes an artist might create will be pornographic, but is that really true. The work of Mapplethorpe has sent museum boards running for the hills and then there’s the dreaded league of decency. Lord help you if you exhibit something that they deem vulgar. And of course you must present a certificate of age appropriateness because if the model for your work happens to look young, then it’s kiddy porn and the F.B.I. will be kicking in your door and taking away your computer and locking down your internet connection. Makes you glad you’re a painter and have no idea how to find a picture on the internet.

So you find a model old enough to pass the test of time, compose a view with care and great attention to lighting and select your palette so that it is pleasing to the largest possible audience and then what, maybe another landscape or some nice flowers in a vase.

Is the nude worth the effort?

The wild and crazy guys in Bandon must think so; they paint from a live model every few weeks. It’s a good thing they don’t know how out of step with art they are, right?