October N*des of the Month in Previews

This press release was scheduled for 10/28/07, but Murphy's Law intervened. I don't even know why. It will happen.

Art News: Curator Chooses Privacy in Revelation for Calendar Art

New York, NY – Sept. 28, 2007 – Barebrush.com announces that October 2007 N*des-of-the-Month is now in previews. The calendar was curated by Esther S. Kim, former director of Heidi Cho Gallery in NYC. The 31 artworks (one for each day of the month) were selected from art submitted world-wide.

N*des-of-the-Month October 2007 is in previews for members only and viewable by the public beginning October 1, 2007 at the website, http://www.barebrush.com.

About the Selection and the Artists:
For her role as guest curator for October 2007, Esther S. Kim, former director and curator of Heidi Cho Gallery chose the works very slowly and carefully. She looked at much of the art multiple times before making each decision. Esther chose Seated Figure in Watercolor by Emily Rich to launch the month. She liked Girl Study by Haydee Torres for the all-important first Saturday, and for Halloween, quite as a cautionary tale, Don't Take Candy from Strangers by Lucinda Luvaas.

When asked about the process and her choices, Esther's immediate response was, "It was fun." She noted that she was more drawn to the paintings and drawings than the sculpture and photography. In addition, she said, "I felt myself gravitating toward the images where the figures are turned away or you don't see their faces -- some things remain private even though they're nude."

CEO Ilene Skeen says, “The October 2007 calendar has a special sensitivity about it -- a gentle and lovely feeling, which matches Esther herself. The issues of privacy and revelation are central to the art of the nude and Esther is the first of the barebrush curators to select a show specifically on that basis. This is yet another facet of appreciation that can help artists, (really all of us) to understand and enjoy this genre.

To read the press release sent to MMD Newswire, click here.

To read the national press release, click here

What's the difference between art and porn?

BBC News

Sir Elton John has defended a photograph he owns after it was seized from an art gallery amid claims it could breach child pornography laws. When does a nude picture become a salacious artefact?

The picture, Klare and Edda belly-dancing, is part of a 139-image collection by the American photographer Nan Goldin. It had been on display in the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead and shows young girls, one of them naked.

Removed from the gallery by police, it is up to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to decide whether to prosecute. If it were to press charges, it would be under the 1978 Protection of Children Act which prohibits showing "indecent" photographs of children.

To view the entire article, with a summary of the issues for both sides, click here.

Some Grin and Bare It!

A note from the BAREBRUSH mailbox, September 9th

Dear Ilene,

I thought I'd steal an idea and create a small preview. So I've attached
a few pages from the next magazine here. I draw your attention to the
bottom left of page 9 and the bottom of page 12, although other items
may be of interest too.

Unlike your previews, this is only for you. The print magazine isn't out
for another week.

Best wishes,

Paul


The magazine is Going Natural / Au naturel is Fall 2007, Vol. 22, no. 3.

Paul is Dr. Paul Rapoport, Professor Emeritus in the School of the Arts at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality and Editor of the quarterly Going Natural / Au naturel, for the Federation of Canadian Naturists.

When I received his note I asked if he would allow the excerpt to be posted to Barebrush Art News & Events. The permission came on the 25th. The magazine is out by now. To see the excerpt, click here. (You will need Adobe Reader to view it).

I'm very pleased to be able to share this with you. Enjoy!

PS: For more information about Going Natural and the Federation of Canadian Naturists, click here.

"My Favorite N*de" Poll Results for August 2007

"My Favorite N*de" Poll Results (with day) for August 2007:

Winners

1st: Hector Olvera (17), La aceptación de la sexualidad

2nd:Chanit Roston (2), Summer Idyl

3rd:Tony Lee (8), La Rana / The Frog



Honorable Mention:

Joyce DiBona (7), Industrial Junkie

NovA (4), Veronica



Frank Olesen (15), up

Congratulations all!

My 11-year-old is drawing n*des? What do I do?

[title changed by BB]

By Gail Saltz
TODAYShow.com contributor

Q. I am uncomfortable that our 11-year-old son is drawing n*des. He is a budding artist and I want him to develop as an artist, but I'd rather he draw fruit in a bowl than nakedness. His father is an “art dad,” similar to a “stage mom,” and pushes him beyond his age. Can you totally be on my side and say 11 is too young for nakedness?

A. I am mostly on your side. By the time kids are 11, you should have discussed all the parts of the human body, including genitals, with them so that they have an understanding of their own parts and what they are called.

In addition, children are sexual beings with their own very normal sexual thoughts....Usually, kids just enjoy their sexual thoughts and feelings, especially if they are given the message there is nothing wrong with them.

Unfortunately, they are exposed to near-nudity on television and the Internet. But obviously, the stimulus of a live n*de person at close range will stir more excitement. An 11-year-old is not an adult who can deal with such stimulation. This is why I advise parents not to go around naked in front of their kids. In this way I am on your side....

Dr. Gail’s Bottom Line: While children should have knowledge of the human body, including their genitals, exposure to actual adult nudity is often overstimulating to them and therefore not advisable.

For the article, click here

And Ilene Skeen says: Too much information is missing from this article to make an informed judgement. Number 1: How involved with the process is the "art dad"? Is he in attendance? Is this a class of mostly adults, so that the child surrounded by people who know how to comport themselves and also know that drawing from the n*de is sometimes sexually stimulating and sometimes artistically and intellectually stimulating, and sometimes all of those. A entire class of children doing this would be major art news.

Number 2: Is this a case of locking the barn after the horse has escaped? For a young male artist, forbidding him life drawing after his having done it can emphasize the mother's discomfort and her assumptions of prurient interest. Exiled to drawing fruit, the boy may seek porno magazines or such Internet sites since those are readily available. At that point, the mother's concerns become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Number 3: It is never wise to pit one parent against the other -- Gail should have advised the mother to work with the "art dad" on this, not against him. A boy grows up to be a man and it is from his father that he can learn a healthy attitude both about his sexuality, and in this case, about his art. The mother should voice her concerns, but if the situation is being handled in a mature, responsible way, she should endorse and not criticize this process -- her son is getting an advantage of which many budding artists are deprived.

Comments Welcome

Long N*de Art Uproar Drowns Out Cricket Cheers for Indian Player

Sachin criticised for accepting painting from Husain

Press Trust Of India

Panaji, September 09, 2007

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar's act of accepting a painting from renowned artist MF Husain has met with criticism from a Hindu organisation, which has demanded an apology from the cricketer.

"We condemn Sachin's visit to `anti-Hindu' painter MF Husain in the UK during his present cricket tour of England," Manoj Solanki, spokesman of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, Goa, said in a press release held in Panaji on Sunday.

Tendulkar had accepted a special autographed painting from Husain, who had been under fire for his controversial paintings of Hindu deities.

"It appears that Sachin was not fully conversant about the nature of `obscene' paintings of Hindu deities and Bharat Mata by Husain," Solanki said.

"Husain is facing 1,250 police complaints for hurting the Hindu religious sentiments, but he has fled the country to avoid action,"

To see the story in the Hundustani Times, click here

Also read:
Hussain's paintings spark violence

Hussain's exhibition cancelled
May 2006

BAREBRUSH readers: Please note that the spelling of the artist's name sometimes appears Hussain and other times, Husain in the Hindustani Times.

Call for Entries -- N*des-of-the-Month October 2007

-- Expose Your Nudes, Promote Your Art

Deadline September 21. All visual artists are encouraged to submit art of the nude to the barebrush.com for selection by Esther Kim, former director of Heidi Cho Gallery, New York, for the October 2007 N*des-of-the-Month exhibition.

New York, NY – Sep. 5, 2007. barebrush.com announces today that Esther S. Kim, former director of Heidi Cho Gallery in New York City will select and curate the October 2007 N*des-of-the-Month virtual exhibition. The entry deadline for the October 2007 calendar is September 21. Art must be uploaded to barebrush.com on or before September 21 to be eligible for the October exhibition. Artists are strongly encouraged to upload their entries early and avoid being closed out due to overflow in the closing days of the contest.

Esther S. Kim is the former director and curator of Heidi Cho Gallery in NYC where she sought to establish the gallery as a space exhibiting socially pertinent work. Aside from contemporary art, she is especially enthusiastic about the French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. She has a background in Art History and studio art, and degrees in both English and French. Her art experience includes studio art, primarly woodcuts as well as painting, and an intership at the Fondation Vasarely, an art museum in Aix-en-Provence, France. Ms. Kim is currently a contributor/show critic for the art news blog, Art Observed....

When asked about what she'd like to see at barebrush, Esther wrote about the problem of specifying particular types of work and concluded: "I'm more excited about seeing what people will send in without limits."

To see the complete call for entries with a link to the schedule, click here

Barebrush Celebrates First Anniversary with International Calendar for September 2007

via MMD Newswire.com

New York, NY – August 31, 2007 – Barebrush.com celebrates the website’s first anniversary with publication of September 2007 N*des-of-the-Month, the thirteenth in the flourishing barebrush series. The calendar was curated by Brigitte Saint-Ouen, founder and director of Gramercy 32 Fine Art Gallery in NYC. The 30 artworks (one for each day of the month) were selected from over 420 entries (a record). Selected artists are from Spain, France, Denmark, Netherlands, Mexico, Panama, Florida, California and New York. N*des-of-the-Month September 2007 is in previews for members only and viewable by the public beginning September 1, 2007 at www.barebrush.com.

About the Selection and the Artists:

Brigitte Saint-Ouen reprised her role as the very first curator of barebrush.com in this special, first anniversary calendar. Brigitte had a fun time with the selection, frequently calling her assistant, Johnandrew Priano, to look at the choices. She was especially enthusiastic about the art of Kaspar Holten (1), Tony Lee (15, 16), and Monique Grif (28). Brigitte picked Kasper Holten's Comfydoc to open the month ("very strong," she said), Sima Schloss' Last Chance to close it. In relating the process to last year, Brigitte said, "It was much easier and there was a more varied and creative selection." Brigitte said that she hopes the artists keep putting in such excellent work and that it was so much fun, she would do it again!

The artists represented (with day of month in parentheses) are: Roger Cummiskey (25, 26), Dulcie Dee (2), Monique Grif (28), Kasper Holten (1), Tony Lee (15, 16), Lucinda Luvaas (19, 20), Jean Marcellino (11, 12), Walter Lynn Mosley (27), Stephen W. Nash (14), Hector Olvera (8), Michael Parker (13), Joost Remeeus (3, 4), Emily Rich (21, 22), William Stephen Rothstein (9, 10), Sima Schloss (29, 30), Ilene Skeen (2, 6, 7), Randy Thurman (17, 18), Haydee Torres (23, 24).

To read the entire press release, click here