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the Nude vs Erotic & Sexin Academic |
By dizdard/Dejan (2,358) 
on August 28, 2002 5:46:17 AM CDT
Nude vs Erotic and SexThree decades ago, at the start of my photographic career, there wasn't a subject I wouldn't try shooting. Gradually though, some dropped while others got my attention. Then, in 1973, nearly by accident, I took a couple of nude images of my girlfriend. They were everything but an attempt to shoot "Nude" or "Art". These few shots however, were the beginning of something that developed into a passion, even obsession with years. So what was it that attracted me to the subject? Thinking back about all these years, I can recognize three periods, each with its own reason: the first one was the thrill of discovery, trespassing and exploring the new frontier of sexuality of youth - mine and that of the girls I was shooting with. Then, as I grew up in age and matured in photography, came the period of exploration of the beauty of forms, light and various interactions. Experimenting a lot, here and there producing even something that stood the test of time. The third period followed - I became less involved with "me" and more with "her". I realized that even if it is me that holds the camera and pulls the trigger, it is the woman on the other side that is the center of the world. Her own self, her desires and dreams, passions and fears. The image content changed accordingly: from shy wrapped semi nudes to full figure in the landscape to fully exposed woman that has nothing to hide or be ashamed of. The realization that photographing breasts is quite safe when compared to a dressed model came quickly. Not so when I was faced with the decision whether to shoot more intimate parts, even when the model felt perfectly comfortable with it. Open legs shots? God forbid! But, in the end, I was there: nothing should be out of limits as long as the image is not degrading, humiliating. I understand the limitations imposed by religion; the question is which religion do we follow? A mere 50 kilometers from where I live is the land of tribes where a woman is forbidden to show her lips in public. Within my community there are religious people for whom any thought of nude is outrageous. The only solution left is to follow our own feelings, conditioning and morality. Gustav Klimt's extremely private erotic drawings were buried deep in private collections and vaults of the Vienna museum before the public was ready to accept them for what they are - great artwork! There's a lot of nude images around that shouldn't be there, that should not have been done in the first place: the only true nude work is the one where the sexual and erotic tension can be felt, where the interaction between the two is next to the "real thing". The nude work in which such tension is lacking is somehow false. I cannot photograph a woman with whom I wouldn't have sex and I can't have sex with a woman I wouldn't take pictures of! I've tried - both - and every time it was a disaster! To conclude: as long as the intentions are honorable, nothing is off-limits. If someone is offended by this-or-that part of the human anatomy, there are a lot of other subject matters in art. When I dislike something I simply don't do in; otherwise, I may end up criticizing and hating myself for not knowing better! And - to paraphrase an old saying: "love Your models or have the ones You love model for You!"
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