HNT #14: The Artistry of Nudes

There is a history in art of placing models in unusual positions. I don't know much about art or art history, just know what I've seen. In some cases I imagine it's been to convey movement, or there must be some symbolic meaning to it. I often think they do it because they can. There's a tension between the purity of the artistry and the sensuality of the nude body. I was inspired to try this by my friend Sean, who went to see a film on Edward Weston and his model-turned-wife, Charis Wilson. Sean's post included a nude of Charis, her head turned away, neck exposed, knees to her face, exquisite curve of leg and echoes of lines. Sean has been taking drawing classes, drawing furiously, and has a standing request for photos of bodies that he can draw.


I thought I'd see how close I could come to imitating the beautiful Charis's position. Not very, of course. I don't even begin to suggest I am trying to create fine art photography. Half the battle is setting the timer and getting in front of the camera. I can see though I can do some exploration here. The other half of the battle is choosing. It is hard for a fat women to look at her body in an artistic way. Well, most of us women in this fat-phobic society cannot look at our bodies clearly. Our eyes zoom to the imperfections. The karma of our history with food and perceptions and nasty comments cloud the clarity to see. I have long noticed it is much easier for me to see the beauty in another fat woman before I can see it in myself.


I had to play a little trick on myself to choose the photo. I had to pretend it wasn't me when I looked at the collection of ten. I pretended I didn't know about the strain I could see in my face as I'd tried to twist my legs up to my face, an impossible task given the bulk of my body. There are times I can be pretty bendy, but there are still the limitations of physical space. I pretended I was someone else looking at this cushy human body for proportionate lines and aesthetic groupings of shapes. I pretended I wasn't hearing the chorus of viewers, "God, look how fat she is! How can she show herself here?" I pretended I was an artist looking for an interesting picture. I thought this one echoed the lines and parallel curves of the inspiration photo, after a fashion. I don't have much to go on when it comes to nudes of large women. I have the book, Women En Large. There are Leonard Nimoy's, discovered a few weeks ago. I still hesitate to show this, but heck, why take myself so seriously? It's not like I'm going to go on American Idol. ...speaking of which, what a woman does with her body should have no bearing on whether she can be on that show, like that show has some high moral ground.


Perhaps a future HNT will be Sean's drawing? Perhaps I will explore in the future what I can do to find aesthetic lines and curves of art in this body that so few artists do. Maybe Sean can give me some ideas, being the one taking art classes...


Click on the cropped image for the full photo: