Michael Easter 02 Sep 2006

I was furiuos when I checked my email to find a notice form the web master that a piece of my work had been deleted from the site. How dare they sensor me for breaking the rules, or "being offensive"! Yes that is what the email said. The photo in particular is titled "MAle Nude" it is classically done and is the rear of a male in black and white, from the butt up to the neck. It was a photo of a sculpture in Arizonia out front of the state building that did in fact show all nudity(the statue)my photo however did not. Please take a moment to look at it and let me know what you think. I however am offended when I am reviewing new works and like today was seeing photo's, drawings or painting's that do infact show full nudity both male and female. I am also offended by things like a picture of a male urinating on something or someone( yes I did infact view this on the art wanted site today during my reviews). I feel the line should be drawn definately, but however I think befor elimiinating and sensoring someones work with out fair review is militaristic even imperialistic. I feel the photo in question should be put out to the forum for the fair review of the fellow artist. Then the majority rules.

Karen Godin 03 Sep 2006

Michael, if you feel strongly about the image in question, ask AW to review the judgement. ONE Mod's opinion is NOT written in stone...

Consistency is a battle that is constantly being questioned with regard to the rules.

ArtWanted.com Staff 04 Sep 2006

Michael -

Feel free to submit your image to our staff for a second opinion if you feel that your image did not violate our rules. However, from your description, it appears that this image did violate our rules and this is why it was removed.

Faith Puleston 10 Sep 2006

In my comments at the end of the artwanted survey, I suggested that an "erotic art" category should be instituted. This would be exclusive to AW members who also register for those pages (i.e. sign in with ID etc). Since the definition of art is so broad, the line between "art" and "pornography" is also a very tenuous one. One person's nude may be another's erotic provocation and another's visiting card. Erotic art as such has been with us for as long as people have been painting. Asian art is particularly full of it. But I would not want minors to have access to the Kama Sutra and similar works and AW would be inviting people to contribute their Kama Sutra look-alikes if the nude were to be allowed in an unexpurgated form. I am not prudish. I have nothing against people enjoying erotic art, but I would like us all to be given the choice. Another point is the problem of "digital painting". I think there should be a category for this kind of artwork. It is very creative and often beautiful, but it is purely digital (the size of these paintings is never given), is available only as a printout of some kind and therefore cannot be judged alongside "reality" art, where the artist has spent weeks, months or even years creating his or her work. I am not denying that digital art is skillful and clever and often gorgeous, but it should be judged alongside its peers rather than ousting traditional painting as an artform.

Dave Marin 28 Sep 2006

yay I took the survey!!!! so quick too!! peace:::Dave

Hassan Pasha 28 Sep 2006

when i clicked the survey all it said that my name has been entered in a lucky draw for free artwanted merchandise ... where is the Survey????

Leo Da 29 Sep 2006

Oh, I get it. It is a count and a list of those who actually take surveys. Or am I wrong again?

Dave Marin 30 Sep 2006

naaaaah there was an actual survey honest!!

ArtWanted.com Staff 30 Sep 2006

Here is the link to the survey.

http://www.artwanted.com/members/survey/survey08.cfm

If you have already taken it, then you will see the message about the contest.

Marty Yokawonis 07 Oct 2006

I voted for the nudity to be allowed but I am concerned that just like the spammers people will open up a free account just so they can solicite people to go to their website for naughty sex. So threads will appear with explicitly erotic photos and because sex is a big business there will be lots of threads posted by "women" named candy or fuckella or whatever. I am on myspace and get frequent invitations in my mailbox to join in these kinds of things. Delete works well. But the discussion boards are very public with no delete keys available to erase their asses. Or they will upload hard core porn photos into their portfolios with the description box advertising their site. I have no problem with an artist using the human form for expressive purposes but just to be free to upload really raunchy stuff for the sake of being erotic bothers me. I would leave AW.

Marty Yokawonis 07 Oct 2006

Work like Michael Easter's where nudity is expressive or work where nudity is incorporated are not objectionable. That is expression. It's the unartistic exploitation of women and children through erotic imagery that I find disgusting.

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