Nude photography (art)

Photographer Earl Moran working with model Zoë Mozert in the 1930s.

Fine art nude photography is a genre of fine-art photography which depicts the nude human body with an emphasis on form, composition, emotional content, and other aesthetic qualities. The nude has been a prominent subject of photography since its invention, and played an important role in establishing photography as a fine art medium. The distinction between fine art photography and other subgenres is not absolute, but there are certain defining characteristics.

Erotic interest, although often present, is secondary,[1] which distinguishes art photography from both glamour photography, which focuses on showing the subject of the photograph in the most attractive way, and pornographic photography, which has the primary purpose of sexually arousing the viewer. Fine art photographs are also not taken to serve any journalistic, scientific, or other practical purpose. The distinction between these is not always clear, and photographers, as with other artists, tend to make their own case in characterizing their work,[2][3][4] though the viewer may have a different assessment.

The nude remains a controversial subject in all media, but more so with photography due to its inherent realism.[5] The male nude has been less common than the female, and more rarely exhibited or published.[6] The use of children as subjects in nude photography is especially controversial.

  1. ^ Clark, Kenneth (1956). "1. The Naked and the Nude". The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01788-3.
  2. ^ Rosenthal,Karin. "About My Work". Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  3. ^ Schiesser, Jody. "Silverbeauty – Artist Statement". Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  4. ^ Mok, Marcus. "Artist's Statement". Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Met was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Weiermair, Peter & Nielander, Claus (1988). Hidden Image: Photographs of the Male Nude in the 19th and 20th Centuries. MIT Press, 1988. ISBN 0-262-23137-9.