"JUST" WORDS

Quotes:

"Naturalia non sunt turpia" (Natural things are not bad in themselves)
unknown philosopher

"Art completes what nature cannot bring to a finish. The artist gives us knowledge of nature's unrealized ends."
Aristotle

"No nude, however abstract, should not fail to arouse in the spectator some vestige of erotic feeling...and if it does not do so, it is bad art and false morals. ...the nude is not the subject of art, but a form of art. ...although the naked body is no more than the point of departure for a work of art, it is a pretext of great importance. ... the human body, as a nucleus, is rich in associations, and when it is turned into art these associations are not entirely lost. ...the nude expresses the relationship we all so earnestly desire between that which is perfected by the mind and that which we love."
The Nude, by Sir Kenneth Clark, art historian and critic

"All forms are perfect in the poet's mind, but these are not abstracted or compounded from nature, but are from the imagination."
Blake

"The expression of a wellmade man appears not only in his face,
It is in his limbs and joints also... it is curiously in the joints of his hips and wrists,
It is in his walk.. the carriage of his neck.. the flex of his waist and knees... dress does not hide him,
The strong sweet supple quality he has strikes through the cotton and flannel;
To see him pass conveys as much as the best poem... perhaps more,
You linger to see his back and the back of his neck and shoulderside."
I Sing the Body Electric, by Walt Whitman

"Judge not, that ye be not judged."
Holy Bible, KJV, Matthew 7:1

"Art is a form of entertainment. If it isn't entertaining, it isn't art"
Unknown

Prosecutor-Persecutor's Lexicon:
(and editorial comments)

(The definitions quoted seem to be the most pertinent for our review. Operative words considered subjective and/or open to further interpretation have been put in italics. Consider the comments in parenthesis and think of your own.)

corrupt:
"morally degenerate and perverted: depraved"
(WOW, is THAT a loaded definition. We'll look at all those below.)

degenerate:
"having sunk to a condition below that which is normal to a type, especially: having sunk to a lower and usually peculiarlycorrupt and vicious state"
(Who is to say what is below and what is normal? And we're back to "corrupt" already.)

depraved:
"marked by moral corruption or evil; especially: perverted"
(Three more to look up.)

erotic:
"of, devoted to, or tending to arouse sexual love or desire"
(Yes, that IS the idea. No problems here.)

filth:
"something that tends to morally corrupt or defile"
(These two are already on the list.) (...fourth, filth, sixth...)

indecent:
"grossly unseemly or offensive to manners or morals.
(How much is "gross" and whose manners or morals?)

lascivious:
"wanton, lewd, lustful""
(Yup, they're on the list too.
When was the last time you heard someone use the word "lascivious"?
"Lascivious" is a good Old Testament word.)

lechery:
"inordinate indulgence in sexual activity: lascivious"
(Inordinate: "exceediing reasonable limits: immoderate".
We could spend all day in the dictionary.
I thought lechery meant playing with bows and arrows.)

lewd:
"sexually unchaste or licentious; obscene, salacious"
(Do we need to look up "unchaste"? It sounds so Victorian.)

licentious:
"lacking legal or moral restraints, especially: disregarding sexual restraints"
(Should my restraints be the same as yours?
How about this simple restraint: consideration for others.)

lust:
"intense or unbridled sexual desire; lasciviousness"
("unbridled" or uninhibited?)

moral:
"of or pertaining to principals of right and wrong in behavior.
Moral implies conformity to established sanctioned codes or accepted notions of right and wrong."
(Where do we start with this one? Conformity in which community? Does "established" mean unchangeable? "Accepted" by whom?)

obscene:
"abhorrent to morality or virtue, especially: designed to incite to lust or depravity"
(This one is important because the law uses it to arrest people.)

patently (offensive):
"readily visible or intelligible: obvious, evident"
(Another lawyer word.)

pervert:
"one who's sexual practices are not generally done or accepted".
( OK, so some of us are not "part of the crowd".)

pornography:
"the depiction of erotic behavior intended to arouse sexual excitement"
(Is THAT all it is? Big deal. Look at "erotic" above. It sounds like the same thing. Reminds one of the saying, "One man's meat is another man's poison". Or, "One man's passion is another man's pornography".)

prurient:
"crave, be wanton, marked by or arousing an immoderate or unwholesome interest
or desire or appealing to unusual sexual desire".
(Here is another word the law likes to use. Who is to say what is immoderate, unwholesome,
or unusual-- the judge, the "moral majority", Jesse Helms?)

salacious:
"arousing or appealing to sexual desire or imagination: lascivious"
(Yes, that is one intention.And there's that esoteric "lascivious" again.)

titillating:
"pleasantly stimulating or exciting; erotic"
(In other words, entertainment for adults.)

wanton:
"lewd, bawdy; causing sexual excitement: lustful, sensual"
(In other words, entertainment for adults, orrrr a Chinese food.)

Discussion:

There is the implication that intense or too much sexual interest is bad. (I can't escape using subjective or "loaded" words either.) Although the definitions sound the same, interconnect or "loop", I distinguish between "erotic" and "pornographic" based on popular usage. Although I personally think some porn (some kinds, some times) can be healthy fun for healthy adults, my artwork is not intended to be pornographic. I strive very much for serious "artistic merit", which is not to say that there can be no humor in art. And sensuality and eroticism can be part of the visual content too without canceling the "artistic merit". I don't have any high-minded social comment to make with my art. It is simply meant to delight the eye, to entertain the imagination and hopefully, stir the emotions yes, to "titillate". It is also meant to be a "collectible" of increasing artistic value. It is not meant to be "in your face", to offend. If you can't appreciate this artwork then don't look at it or let your children look at it.

The HIMagery artist, December, 1996
(revised February, 2001)

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