Risque business: sex vs. nudity

By Monica Kreber
kreberm@mytjnow.com

Mark Hamilton’s photographic artwork frequently includes nudity, which some people may see as pornographic and gives it a negative connotation, according to Hamilton. He and his wife have another website, www.jenniferandmarkhamilton.com. Photo/artwork done and provided by Mark Hamilton.In February 2009 associate fine arts professor Mark Hamilton was recognized by the University of South Carolina for a series of photographs he took on campus. These photographs happen to contain a female nude model.

At the time, University Relations published a notification that Hamilton had been recognized for his artwork, but did not publish the photographs because of the nudity.

In essence, Hamilton felt like his artwork had been “censored.”

However, since 2009, Hamilton said he felt like University Relations has improved in promoting his accomplishments in his artwork. Recently, Hamilton had new work shown at the Blackbox Gallery in Portland, Ore.

“University Relations did do a good job in posting the news on the website and saying that my work was in the show,” Hamilton said.

While University Relations did not show the actual photos on the website, Hamilton said they did provide a link to see the photos at the gallery’s website.

“I’m happy that we have made some progress, that they did publicize it,” he said. “But, you know…it’s still not there.”

The art department at Winthrop is not unfamiliar with nudity being used in artwork. Hamilton said the subject of nudity vs. sex is not a problem in the art institution, but “I think it can be a problem with institutions,” he said.

Hamilton said he thinks some people look at nudity as pornographic and associate it with a more negative connotation.

“I would like to use a feministic definition of pornography,” he said. “To me, it’s not necessarily about whether someone is clothed or unclothed; it’s more about the nature of power.”

By “power of nature” Hamilton said he believes it about reinforcing patriarchal values.

“If it places a woman in a position of looking subservient and she’s not in charge of her own sexuality, than to me that’s pornographic,” he said.

Hamilton said he has also done shows that include nude men, and that has brought up the issue of homophobia.

“I do think people have more problems with nude men than nude women, just because it brings up a whole new set of issues,” he said.

On one occasion, Hamilton said he did a show in Charlotte of nude men. After the event the gallery in Charlotte received numerous messages like “I can’t believe you were showing those images” and using the word “faggots.”

Hamilton said while he believes most people on campus would not actually equate nudity with sex, he feels like the issue is Americans being uncomfortable with sex.

“I think we probably have more sex than other places, but there’s guilt about it,” he said.

Hamilton also said he believes education should be about embracing what is considered controversial.

“To me, a lot of artwork is very emotional,” he said. “It’s very passionate. I think a lot of art expresses the passion of the human spirit.”

Before using nude models, Hamilton was a fashion photographer. He said now he is less interested in selling clothes than selling emotions.

“Do they always have to be nude? Maybe not necessarily,” he said. “But it’s idealism. I think art means the pinnacle of the ultimate expression of the human spirit.”

As far as educating students at Winthrop, Hamilton said he has learned that the ability to draw reflects education.

“At one point the ability to draw, the ability to see things and record them was actually the sign of an educated individual,” he said. 

Senior art major Haylie Jeter regularly uses nude models for her artwork because she said she believes clothes and make up says more about personality than integrity.

“This is ironic because some people believe that models who are willing to pose nude have a lack of integrity,” she said, “but what is integrity if it is not honesty? What is more honest than a figure, unimpaired by clothing and make up?”

Jeter said she has never experienced being censored in her artwork but has been told that in order for her commercial work to appeal “to the masses” that she must keep her artistic nudes separate. Jeter now operates a website that includes both her commercial work and her fine art (nude) work.

“There were a few people, including my mother, who told me that I should remove my fine art work from the website if I want to get more business,” Jeter said. “By looking at my new website you can see that I took their opinions to heart by doing the exact opposite.”

Jeter said she thinks there are two reasons people “freak out” over nude photos:

1. It is too familiar. “People see a human figure and they cannot help but relate to it,” she said. “They see the exposed figure and they see themselves and that makes them uncomfortable.”
2. Nudity is taboo. “Because nudity is not a social norm, people feel shocked or even guilt for seeing nudity in art.” Jeter added religion might be a cause of this guilty feeling. “Religion could be used to argue that nudity is natural; consider Adam and Eve,” she said.

Jeter said the only obstacle in photographing nudes is the issue of finding models who are willing.

In the “about” section of her website, Jeter states her belief that a female’s figure is the most natural, “beautiful” piece of art ever created.

“I enjoy photographing women not only for aesthetic reasons but for empathetic reasons as well,” she said. “Being a woman myself, I feel that can relate to the model and can best direct them in their posing.”