Opinion
The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, May 29,1996^7
Artistic nudity: right or wrong?
Joel P. Shempert
Staff Writer
The word “nudity” conjures
up alt types of concepts in the
mind of the reader relating to sex
and sexuality, to the dismay of
many religious and conservative
people, and to the wholehearted
approval of those more liberal-
minded.
I intend to demonstrate, how
ever, that there is a degree of error
in both viewpoints; that artistic
nudity is not wrong, but neither is
the depiction of nudity always
right. I hope to come to a middle
ground where Christian individu
als like myself can freely express
themselves artistically, while still
retaining their Christian testimony.
Art, simply, is expression.
Good art is expression of truth, at
least as the artist sees it. Frankie
Schaeffer, son of the late Christian
writer and philosopher Francis
Schaeffer, affirms this in his book,
Sham Pearls for Real Swine. A
significant point that Schaeffer
makes is that if art is truth, it is all-
encompassing. Art can depict
something beautiful, or something
ugly, and if it shows the truth
about the subject, it has suc
ceeded as art.
The simplest level on which
this works is through aesthetic
truth—depicting the physical
world with accuracy and beauty.
The artist who paints a nude
woman is expressing truth as
much as the one who paints a
bowl of fruit. Schaeffer points out
that the human figure is even es
sential to good art.
“An artist who does not draw
the nude figure cannot learn the
traditional, accumulated skills of
thousands of years of figurative
western art history,” claims
Schaeffer.
There is a danger, however,
of using this concept as an excuse
for any and all nudity—or any and
all expression, for that matter. Ar
tistic merit is not inherent in the
subject alone, but is also bound
up in its presentation. There is
such a thing as pornography, and
the presentation of the nude is the
key. There are obvious examples,
such as depictions of sexually ex
plicit behavior, which are as far re
moved from a Michelangelo or
Rembrandt nude as the east is
from the west.
There are also more subtle
cases which must be examined.
This is why individual work must
We live in
an age
which is
extremely
focused on
sex.
be examined for pornographic
content, and not nudity as a
whole. “Of course all nudity...has
some sexual content, but then so
does all of human life,” explains
Schaeffer. “But such portrayals are
not selling sexuality for sexuality’s
sake, divorced from a loving hu
man relationship, as is pornogra
phy.”
Much of the difference lies in
the motives behind the presenta
tion. Too often today, nudity is
depicted from motives of sexual
stimulation or shock value. C.S.
Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity
that, “when people break the rule
of propriety.. .if they do so in or
der to incite lust in themselves or
others, they are offending against
chastity. . .when, as often hap
pens, they break it defiantly in or
der to shock or embarrass others,
they are not necessarily being
unchaste, but they are being un
charitable.”
At the same time it is easy for
Christians to dismiss all nudity as
pornography. This is unfortunate,
since nudity possesses a rich and
varied symbolism which is impor
tant to artistic expression. There
are literal types of symbolism,
such as the depiction of specific
situations, and also human sexu
ality portrayed in moral fashion.
The point where ambiguity
sets in, however, is when one en
ters the realm of metaphorical
symbolism. Nudity can be used
to express purity and innocence,
or great shame, or vulnerability
and helplessness, or even, in
some cases, immorality.
Schaeffer’s book classifies
and explains the various tradi
tional usages of nudity in art.
There is: nuditas naturalis, the
depiction of nudity as a fact of life;
nuditas temporalis, the usage of
nudity allegorically to act as a
metaphor for misfortune, peni
tence and so forth; nuditas
virtualis, which embodies purity
or sinlessness; and nuditas
criminalis, which portrays evil
and wickedness. The important
criterion when examining these,
especially the last case, is how the
subject is presented, and is good
praised and evil condemned?
We live in an age which is ex
tremely focused on sex. Sex is glo
rified; sex is celebrated; sex is en
couraged—all as an end unto it
self— rather than as part of a lov
ing lifelong relationship. What
ever one’s personal views on this
issue, one can hardly blame the
Christian community for reacting
negatively to that which runs con
trary to their deepest convictions.
It has become difficult to pro
mote nudity in an artistic sense
because the cultural waters have
become so muddied. Where does
nudity most often appear in 20th
century American culture? The
live nude is seen in strip clubs—
instances where art is the last thing
on the minds of the performers or
the audience. In film, nudity ap
pears not to advance the plot, or
provide some sort of symbolism,
but for gratuitous and torrid—and
usually illicit—sex. In literature,
nudity often appears for graphic
description of equally steamy sex
scenes.
In the fine arts, there are still
many who desire honest, aesthetic
expression, but there are also many
who use their art as a venue for
cheap sexuality. It is a popular
culture which creates an atmo
sphere unfavorable and even hos
tile to the Christian individual, and
if the church has overreacted, it
can be at least partially forgiven.
This is why I would like the
two polar opposites of our soci
ety to come together artistically,
and strive toward enrichment
rather than retreat into stagnation.
Those in secular society would do
well to respect the position of fun
damentalism rather than pursuing
new heights of shock value for its
own sake. At the same time, the
church must realize that by reject
ing art and culture, it is failing in
its evangelical mission.
Christians are called to be in
the world but not of the world, yet
they cannot begin to solve the
world’s problems if they are not
truly in it.
Customized computers: the way to go
than what my computer can quirements
of of
eight
megabytes
of of tual
computer
will
cost,
complete
tual
computer
will
cost,
complete requirements.”
Brad Zimmerman
quirements
eight
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Sure, I could just hold off
handle.
Assistant Feature Editor
memory, 30 megabytes of hard with shipping costs.
During the fall of 1994,1 de drive space and a two-speed CD-
I’ve decided to get a Pentium- buying the newer software and
I bought a computer about a
year and a half ago, and at that cided to get a Pentium-60. At that ROM drive. My computer barely 133 with a 512 kilobyte cache, 16 wait another year to buy a com
megabytes of RAM and a one- puter, but—especially true in the
time, it was considered to be pretty time, the Pentium-75 was the best meets those requirements.
fast. I assumed that it would last computer you could get; the P-60
So, instead of buying more gigabyte (1000 megabytes) hard computer business-nothing
me at least three or four years. Un seemed more than sufficient to memory, a bigger hard drive and a drive. The computer comes stan stands still. If I just decided to
fortunately, I now need more handle anything the next few faster CD-ROM drive (and then dard with a four-speed CD-ROM wait a little longer for the prices
memory, a bigger hard drive and a years could throw at it.
paying someone to install the new drive. In addition, I’ve decided to to drop, I’ll end up waiting for ever-
Last week, I decided to pur components), I’ve decided to sim get a 15" monitor with 2 megabytes -new computers are released, and
faster CD-ROM drive because
their prices start to drop, so I de
games and applications simply chase “Jane’s Advanced Tactile ply get a new computer.
cided to wait and get the new sys
have higher minimum requirements Fighter” which has minimum re
Fortunately, buying a com
tem and so on.
puter is not as bad as most people
When buying a new com
think. However, the fact that I am
puter, make sure that you know
buying a new computer kind of
what is going into it. Addition
bothers me. A year and a half ago,
ally, try and talk to friends (and
my
computer
was
top
of
the
line.
NCW To CPU C»Tf!
the salespeople—they usually
T hè KJiFT'f-su.pee-
Now it barely meets the minimum
DWPE.R - UUTOA-PovJt R-
know what they are doing), along
requirements for a $45 game.
PC fcy 12» CÖCJ0M-
with reading reviews about the
ToMS« OF
Nonetheless, I’m going to
computer. Of course, if you are
have to get a new computer. To
buying a customized computer, a
make the process, easier, many
review
won’t mean much, unless
computer companies now have
you decided to customize your
World Wide Web (WWW) sites
computer based on the review.
that can greatly facilitate the buy
In the end, if someone wants
ing process.
to
buy
a new computer, they are
In particular, both Gateway
just
going
to have to break down
and Dell offer WWW sites that
and buy it.
will let you choose a basic com
If at all possible, try and get a
puter system, and then let you cus a VRAM (Video RAM). Most
tomize it to your own specifica people I’ve talked to have said that “customized” computer which can
tions.
At the end of the setup might last two years. I.e., be built to your specifications; at
“customization,” you have the two years from now, my computer a cost usually less than buying a
ability to see how much your vir- will just be meeting the “minimum pre-packaged system.
If I just decided
to wait a little
longer for the
prices to drop,
Til end up
waiting for
ever—new
computers are
released, and
their prices
start to drop.