Dealing with light and enlightenment

I’ve been getting much resistance for my erotic art. It took me some time to arrive at calling it “my erotic art”. But that is what it is. Many of my friends, fellow artists, acquaintances and media, seem to differentiate between all other art forms and mine. I am speaking of people, some of which have known my previous work for years. Art connoisseurs, who have considered my work sophisticated, aesthetic and very powerful in the past, are having difficulties with what I am working with at present.

So I need to ask myself why. What is it about my present artistic investigation into nudity, erotica and the study of human sexuality, that is so repugnant to the most extreme critics and less than acceptable, artistically, to my more tame, yet still, critical friends?

I am not investigating into areas of art that are all too new historically. The nude is iconic in art and has historically always been a part of the collective artistic journey.

Is it because I am touching on ancient social taboos invoked by religion? Am I, too strongly implying that sex is ok?

As an artist I deal with light and light is also what we need to see things clearly. But something in my art appears to be unclear. I need to understand what that is. I am beginning to catch a glimpse of it when someone (female) says to me that they can imagine “some creepy guy looking at my pictures and jerking off”. Let me say that this person is amongst those most accepting of my work. Others have said that I objectify women, not concerning themselves with the fact that these works are a collaborative effort of myself and the model. I spend from three to nine hours with each model in the process of planning and discussing our shooting session. So to say that I objectify my model is hardly accurate. Can a model objectify herself? I wonder…

This is just the beginning of a much larger discourse I am in the process of developing. It will grow as I am growing. As I learn what it means to me.

Large version.

I was interviewed for Magic Places Fine Art on-line photography magazine. I invite you to read the article.