Pin-Up: From Objectification to EmpowermentIn researching the history of pin up art I found that before there were the “centerfold girls” there were the “pin-up calendar girls” – the semi-nude young women in lingerie whose photographs adorned calendars sold semi-legally from under the counters of gas stations and truck stops.

Pin-Up
From Objectification
to Empowerment
:icontechgnotic:
by $techgnotic
Wed Feb 01, 2011, 11:00 PM
In researching the history of pin up art I found that before there were the “centerfold girls”
there were the “pin-up calendar girls” – the semi-nude young women in lingerie whose photographs
adorned calendars sold semi-legally from under the counters of gas stations and truck stops

But is it Art?:icontechgnotic:
by $techgnotic
Fri Jul 8, 2011, 7:59 PM
Perhaps the eternally unanswerable question.
But definitely something to chew on...
When I first saw it, I was instantly captivated.
At first thought...
...what a brilliant example of modern pointillism! Has some unknown artist taken up the long abandoned banner of Georges
Seurat and presented us with a new manifesto championing art as points of light illuminating our waking dreams?!

OK, I see now it’s not a painting at all, so my pointillism exuberance is dashed. It’s more likely one of those photo collages
with thousands of small images being arranged to create a larger picture. That’s cool. So what’s the picture?
If I stare intently long enough, will it suddenly “emerge,” like the ones they sell on the Venice Beach Boardwalk?
<

Poe's Death List:icontechgnotic:
Foreword by $techgnotic
Fri Oct 21, 2011, 8:23 PM
As Halloween approaches, what better way to celebrate the season when the spectral
boundaries of the Kingdom of the Spirits of the Dead touch briefly with the mystical
edges of the Domain of We the Living than to invoke the battered and hellishly bedeviled
soul of Edgar Allan Poe to guide us in communication between (his) ghostly and (our)
ghastly planes of existence.
Poe invented the “detective” story and was an early father of “sci-fi”, and he was also an
extraordinary poet, but he is best known for his Gothic tales of mystery and abject horror –
nearly all of them anchored in the apprehension of an impending cruel and unnatural death.

Edgar Allan Poe by ~Dr-Horrible
Poe had an inventive genius like no other in his

Return to Comic-ConFMR REPORT TO HQ:
Voyage 2 of deviantART Starship to Comic-Con
FIRST CONTACT:
July 20, 2011
NEW MISSION LOCATION:
San Diego Convention Center
NEW MISSION DATE:
July 11-15, 2012
Assessment of First Mission Success:
The thousands of Sojourners to Comic-Con had grown jaded and complacent over the years,
content to thrash about with the same old-same old battle plan once again like the drowsy
wizards and wookies they had become. Little did they know what our deviant plans had in store
for our virgin landing and takeover of Artists Alley!
Stunned and awed were they at the might of our artist alley powered video screens, Wacom
powered Art Creation Satellites, and the beauty of our interview vixens! The gauntlet we cast
down has yet to be properly picked up by the shaken powers that be!
Our satellites sent communications that went out to all those lovers of sci-fi, fantasy arts
and sciences worldwide, to arti

When Being Human Just Isn't Enough:icontechgnotic:
The allure of Anthro Art is obvious to anyone who ever “owned” and loved a pet. (Only those who have never loved and shared lives with a pet speak of pet “ownership”!) Once a bond has been formed between a human and an animal the rigid distinctions between what is human and what is animal begin to fracture.
The definition of “being” becomes suddenly far more expansive. And soon the bonded human begins feeling spiritual affinities with the “animal” that are undeniably powerful and as “real” as any felt with other humans. The desire to leave all the lies and hypocrisies of human society behind and join in with a simpler and somehow more “honest” society of different beings in nature can become palpable and intense. “The grass is always greener…” and, oh!, to scamper across it on four liberating paws!
From M

Jump into a new journal portal!Here's a quick bit of trivia! Did you know that journals comprise about 25% of posts submitted daily?

Journals are an integral part of the deviantART experience, and coming soon, they'll receive the spotlight they deserve.

Introducing the new Journal portal!
A brand new look is coming to the News page.
From the Journal portal, which will be replacing the News page, you'll be able to browse, submit, or search journals and news. You'll be able to browse by Newest, Popular, and Featured (which is comprised of official deviantART news and highlights).
Journals will be visible with their skin, giving you a better context of the post.
(Hover over the screenshot below to see more!)

What happened to the old News page?
As you may recall, we teased the release of merging news, journals, blogs, and deviations in order t

There is no 'Lit Community'There's just you.
You, a person who happens to have words in your head and, sometimes, they spill out into a notebook or a Word document and then eventually end up on the Internet. Hell, there's a lot of you. English doesn't differentiate between the singular and the plural, which means that this paragraph is both about individuals and about a lot of people.
Every so often I see people complain that the "lit community" is elitist, that everyone's an insular jerk, the crits are unfairly harsh, so on and so forth.
And I'm like, WTF is this.
Are you talking about the group with over 7000 members where the admins work their butts off to feature stellar members and provide prompts and encouragement every week even though almost no one responds and just thinks of them as one of the 200+ groups they submit their latest piece to?
The cool thing about the Internet is that there are a lot of people on it. So yes, there are little circles of people bound together by stuff like wanting to make a g

Identity, the Internet, and YouYour existence will forever be encoded into the infinite repertoire of beautiful, byte-sized sequences, safely housed in the cyber cloud for all to observe.
- "Topiary," as quoted in 'We Are Anonymous' by Parmy Olson
So I just read this book that is written by someone who is very obviously not of the Internet generation. From having to explain that 'fag' is practically a term of endearment on 4chan (okay, the whole explanation about 4chan and /b/ and message boards is entertaining) to mentioning that NyanCat is 'one of the Internet's most popular memes,' this book is in part an attempt to help people who aren't netizens understand what it's like to be part of a culture where people do shit because it's funny.
Like, you know, bring down a government server. Or get some guy to send a picture of his dick to his mom, or whatever.
Online, things don't seem to matter so much. Bothered by what someone's said? U mad, bro? Just log off. Whatever.
Except that people

Daily Literature Deviations for November 6th, 2011Daily Lit Deviations for November 6th, 2011
We are proud to feature today's Daily Literature Deviations!
You can show your support by ing this News Article.
Please comment and

the features and congratulate the artists!

For all of the featured artists: If you receive a DD for one
of your pieces featured by DLD please note ~damina.
We will include you and your piece in a special recognition news article.

Poetry
Featured by: =LadyofGaerdon

"Delirium Sings A Song For Me" by =AzizrianDaoXrak
With a rich intensity,
the author takes us through
many mythological traditions,
painting a vivid picture of the
search to belong.
Featured by: =LadyofGaerdon

"Salem" by *toxic-nebulae
The

The Stars of dAr - `Mirz123The Stars of dAr is a series where I interview one member of the deviantART Related (dAr) community each time, about personal and dA related matters. For today we have `Mirz123! She creates fantasic stamps, sometimes fun and silly, but also often with an important and profound message, and always in her recognisable style. She's also an enthusiastic community member in many aspects, and can be found in many corners of the community. But enough about her from me - I'll hand the floor to Mirz herself

Hi `Mirz123, thanks for agreeing to be interviewed
- Please tell us something about yourself!
By day I'm a mom who works as a secretary. By night, I don a cape and create emoticons, stamps, and write Lit. Though, looking at my gallery stats, I'm most-known for my stamps.

- Some people may be reading this article

The Timeless Code of the Eternal OutsiderWhy Drive will be the movie that is remembered in years to come. Film Noir is a genre of “life in the shadows” movies that became popular in America during the uncertain times of World War II. Westerns have remained a shorthand for the American psyche with their sullen outsiders with a personal code of honor bucking the system. Samurai films mirror the lone avenger protagonist, but set against a longing for a lost society of incorruptible values. Now and again a notable contemporary noir or western or samurai film emerges with little fanfare amidst all the commercial cacophony of the louder, bolder, more spectacular action films that rule today’s box office. One such gem of film blending all three genres flashed out of the shadows briefly in 2011. It’s called “Drive” and I think it is the greatest artistic achievement of the past year.

Steve Jobs [ 1955–2011 ]Steven Paul Jobs, co-founder, chairman and former chief executive of Apple Inc., has passed away today. http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/
"When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: 'If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.' It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know t

As Enduring (and as fleeting) As the Gods:icontechgnotic:
by $techgnotic
Fri Jul 8, 2011, 7:59 PM
Lucifer - The Fallen by *RainerKalwitz
Marble, Granite, Bronze, Silver, Gold!
Early statuary depicted one’s god’s, and since the medium is
as much the message as the visual message itself – the medium had
to proclaim: This god is as forever lasting as this stone that His
rendering is hewn out of! But all that is solid eventually melts
away into the air, even the most powerful ancient gods and kings –
As the poet Shelley so poignantly noted in Ozymandias.
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp’d on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock’d them and the

The Savage Beauty of Gears of War:icontechgnotic:
WARNING: Interviews subject to "interruptions" due to "disturbances"
beyond the dA video crew’s control.
Ever wonder what it’s like to be an artist working on one of the world’s hottest shooter games inside the HQ of one of the world’s most respected videogame development companies? Ever dream of imagining and creating the alien landscapes and the superheroes and monstrous creatures who inhabit them?
These exclusive interviews only from deviantART at Epic Games HQ with Gears producers Cliff Bleszinski and Rod Fergusson and Gears artists Chris Perna, Wyeth Johnson, Shane Caudle and the rest of the Gears artists gang reveal what it takes to make a team of sorcerers to conjure, capture and render pure mayhem for our videogame rapture. They deliver insight into what their journey was like from when they first realized that art was their only life path and travel

Eye See, Therefore Eye Am:icontechgnotic:
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die."
—Roy Batty, BLADERUNNER
Every time we open our eyes in the morning as each new day breaks, two worlds flow forth, each penetrating into the other, as the celestial portal gate separating them is once again raised. One’s inner world, of mind and being, pierces the outer world of light and raw data, seeking to hunt and gather mental sustenance. The outer world floods into our minds like a data tsunami, seeking to reconfigure the secret landscape of last night’s perfectly crafted dream state. Both worlds do battle to rearrange and make sense of the other. It is the yin and yang, by which we create and recreate the world – and the world invades and recreates each one of

Browse More Like This

Featured in Groups

Good Nudes vs. Bad Nudes?

Tue Nov 1, 2011, 2:57 PM by $techgnotic

Foreword by $techgnotic
Tue Nov 1, 2011, 3:23 PM

Contours in Context
The argument for the nude in art:

Our visual perception of the human face and then the human body has set the basis since the beginning of
human history for our sense of what is beautiful and what initiates all our seminal ineffable sublime feelings
about the nature of love, life, desire, destiny, eternity, ad infinitum. The curvatures and symmetries of the
human body even lay the geometric basis for the artistic structures of all our art forms, not only for the visual
arts but also for literature and architecture. Given the primacy of the body as the beginning of all that we are
in life, and given the eye as the primary receiver for the collection of all information in our lives, how could
the artistic nude not be a massively represented art form on a global arts forum like deviantART? And besides,
nudes are something people enjoy looking at – and art needs no other justification than being something that
brings some small amount of pleasure into our lives.

"Athena's on the Qui Vive" by *erwintirta

The knock on the nude in art:

You mean men enjoy looking at nudes.  And women not nearly so much – because they have to endure the daily indignities
of being treated like mindless “objects” by clueless men.  Nude art in any media will always teeter precariously on a very
fine edge separating the “empowering” from the “demeaning.”  It’s all in the context.  Helmut Newton famously photographed
a model on a bed wearing a saddle. Is this erotic fine
art or just high-gloss perversion?  Is it the artist’s intent to audaciously exercise his adoration of the nude form or to
merely indulge misogynistic darknesses? And you, viewing Newton’s photograph, will have to make your own decision as to
the worth of the piece, based in the unique context of everything you’ve experienced in your life.

The Eternal Question:
When is the Nude art...
and when is it not?

These questions seem to always arise when one encounters the nude – in photography, paintings, sculptures, even in song and
literature – an encounter fraught with more emotional, political and personal baggage than almost any other art experience.
The artist’s intent is immediately at issue: Is this a sharing, a provocation, a statement?  Is this erotica to be enjoyed for
its sensual beauty and invocation of the mysteries of desire?  Or is this prurient junk fit only for baser purposes?  Or does
the nudity have very little to do with the ultimate message of the piece? The problem?

all that I do is wait for you by *shadowimagephoto

We don’t really know the artist’s
intent – And we’re left with our own
reaction to the artwork for judging
its artistic worth and merit.
That’s the problem.

It’s so intimately subjective

One person’s erotic art is another person’s worthless sensationalism. There can be no ultimate judge or definer –
and thankfully the majority of people in the world have recognized this fact of life and are against most censorships.
This leaves us with the vexing debate as to how much nudes is too much nudes on deviantART.

The only thought I can offer is that, because men (and women) photographing, painting and sculpting nudes is not going
away. We know better than to try to censor art or empower bureaucratic “judges” to set limits, it is imperative that we
keep the current conversation going about what is good and beautiful and what is bad and dangerous about our ubiquitous
nudes situation. If only we can remain ever mindful and considerate of – and always remain in dialogue about – the good
and bad possible side effects of the nude art we enjoy, then maybe we can have our erotica and our feminism, too.

Kind of like enjoying alcohol, but knowing to never drive drunk. Art is never entirely stand alone. The context is
always present, transformative, and as important to the experience of art as the art object itself.

meremaid by *WeissChristian

In February of 2012 I plan on revisiting this subject by interviewing artists and models on deviantART to get their
thoughts and opinions on the ideas and arguments that are represented in the comments section of this article. After
answering the questions please let me know which artist or models you might like to see interviewed for that article.
I am also considering providing the commentary as a live interview/debate instead of an article.

Any thoughts on that idea?

Questions for the reader:

Do you think there is too much nude subject matter on deviantART or is it a non-issue for you? How much do you think your gender or sexual preferences might influence your answer?

When is censorship of art permissible? Where would you draw the line? What rational rule could you offer as a practical guideline?

Have you ever had a work of art you created censored or banned in any way?

If an artist really believes in what he or she has created, how should the artist respond to censorship of that art? Have you been made aware of an instance of “art suppression” via the Internet?

Would you ever suggest to another artist that he or she should tone a work of art down or agree to the censorship of an art object in a specific situation?

:thumb194853072:

Article Update:
Tue Nov 1, 2011, 5:45 PM

Many of you have brought up the notion that any isolated display of genitals would not be artistic.
Would your opinion change if the discussion involved Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party"
or Georgia O'Keeffe’s flower paintings?

Credits

Writers

$techgnotic

Designers

$marioluevanos

Advisor in Chief

$makepictures

Resources

"Athena's on the Qui Vive" by *erwintirta

all that I do is wait for you by *shadowimagephoto

.............................. by ~panpropanbutan

haunted by ~dysny

Up by *JaimeIbarra

Cocoon by ~pauline-greefhorst

When spring comes by ~St-JR

meremaid by ~WeissChristian

The World In My Mind by =vishstudio

Sorciere by ~St-JR

ToV: Requiem - Morning by *Sinn4u

healing by ~Roguetwo

F..k tha Police by *idaniphotography

This article may be redistributed on the web by link and with attribution to deviantART but not re-printed without deviantART's permission.

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~asylumaxle 1 day ago Hobbyist General Artist

1: No, nudes are not an issue for me on DA. Yes, I am male, but I am also an artist with many a female fan. The bulk of my art is female nude. Occasionally I get a comment about why I draw almost nothing but naked chicks, but it doesn't bother me.

2: I once saw an artist on my watch list get hacked. The hacker posted things like a man blowing his own brains out, and a girl's arm that looked like she stuck it in a lawnmower, real gruesome stuff. The artist was banned shortly after, but returned once the hacking issue was settled. The hacker's "art" was offensive, at least to me, and it probably had no place on DA, but I wouldn't deny that it was art.

3: I have had ONE picture that I posted erased from DA by admins. It was of a male/female couple making love. There were no genitals or penetration of any kind visible in the picture, and all that could really be seen as far as nudity was his butt and one of her breasts. Pretty tame compared to most of my other pics., certainly not pornographic, just ... romance. DA has rules about not showing sex, and I can understand why. This was years ago, however, and I've seen some pics much racier than the one that got erased. Perhaps the rules have loosened a bit, but I wouldn't know.

4: There will always be censorship of art and media somewhere. It's inevitable. Here's what you do when that happens, and a site just doesn't dig your style. Post somewhere else. There are hundreds of artists on DA who post their racier (and even pornographic) stuff on sites that were made for that kind of thing, or even make sites of their own. It's that easy, really. Nothing to panic or get pissy over.

5: No, I would not tell another artist to "tone it down". It's their art, not mine.

~DanteLetsRock May 1, 2013

1. There is way too much nude content on Deviantart. Some of it tasteful and some of it distasteful. Indications of sex in the picture but hiding the parts at certain times but sometimes not at all. I don't have anything against tasteful nudes but violating the rules of the site is just plain wrong. I don't think gender really has anything to do with it I think it has more to do with the sexual mindset of the person viewing it. Of course they are going to call it "art" if they want to see more of it. By experience I have seen nothing but camera whores seeking attention with distasteful nudes asking questions such as : "How do I look?" , "What would you do to me?" etc. On top of that trying to use the site to sell the more pornographic images for money. The site is made to showcase art not to build self esteem for slutty people.

2. As far as censorship the site has guidelines onto what is permissible to post and often times the rules aren't enforced allowing for a growing increase in content that has no purpose being on this site. I have no problems with it on this site if you know your piece is to risque for this site find another website to post it on. Where I draw the line would be where the subject matter isn't covered in the guidelines.

3. Not that I am aware of.

4. I'm not sure what they can do other than find another site to post on. If they must absolutely show their genitals to someone they could always fall back on flashing the public either that and go to their true calling which is being a webcam model. Seriously I think some of the pictures are pulled from webcam videos.

5. It wouldn't hurt to have two particular incarnations of a work a toned down one and the graphic version of it. Adds extra pieces to an artist's collection.

~tokyo18zelda Apr 27, 2013 Hobbyist General Artist

I think the female (and male) body is a beautiful thing, and I enjoy artistic nudes. However, I think that a lot of artistic nudes are degrading to women. I have had to deal with males who treat females almost like pets, so I tend to be very judgemental about whether a photo is an artistic nude or just porn.

~gloriagypsy Dec 31, 2012 Professional General Artist

I believe that once women( I say women because I am one and I have seen and heard all the issues from women I know personally) become aware of the sacredness and beauty of their bodies (including the genitals) their ideas of "vulgar" "pornagraphic" "not artistic" etc. will change. Women are the epitome of of creativy ie. creation [link]. We (Humans) are a part of nature and all of nature is beautiful and sacred.

~rhgraphicsolutions Dec 31, 2012 Professional Interface Designer

I don't mind it as long as the proper setting are clicked in DA. I often look on here with my children around and like the mature content filter to be in use. I can always click on a deviation and view it when they are not in the room. whether it is Art or not is not the issue, just use some manners for all the rest of us.

~Moon-Lust Dec 13, 2012 Hobbyist Artist

My Input

In all fairness, to those who find this to be not art, think of it this way, and I have versions to suit people.
For religious people - It is the art of a god that made is this way, it was, in essence, the original masterpiece, humans. He sculpted us with equal love, all being unique, all being our own murals, and we turn out our own art, as if we are following god's example.
For those who believe in evolution (myself included) - It is the art of evolution, we have formed this way over millions of years, becoming more and more unique in how our genetic palettes are handled, we all look different in one way or another, and we are changing the human race when we give birth, as the genetics mingle, some dominating others in a genetic war of DNA, seeing how the child will turn out even before birth! It will lead to more art! In reality, it was society that deemed "nudity" as it is, but the fact stands, it is a body, male or female it is still just an animal. Humans, Giraffes, Whales, Dogs, Bats, Eagles, Cats, etc, are all animals! Nudity isn't sick, it is natural.

Though you must remember, pornography is different than nudity. Though both are still an art, one could be considered dastardly despite being normal, as humans are genetically programmed to have needs, though with this, I would call it nudity, as some are fascinated with the human body and the bare idea of it. No hiding yourself in clothing, but exposing yourself and your imperfections and in some eyes, perfections. This is my opinion of DeviantArt's 'Artistic Nude' category, feel free to add on. Feel free to hate. If you reply with hate, you are feeding the art of creativity to insult me. Go nuts.
Tl;Dr? - Nudity is normal.
-me

~bllixy Nov 3, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

1.I don't believe there is to much. But I am a man and I will agree I may be bias to some, however there is more than just female nudes. There is a cencorship so the art is only there if you wish to see it.

2.If it is possibly to much you can censor. Better to much censor than none at all. It is one click more to see it or you can dissable it all together but in doing so it is a concious act that you want to see them.

3.I have censored a poem once but it wasn't out there...

4.As an artist, it might hurt a little to feel that what you create or express need be hidden but isn't it better than having it kicked from DA all together?

5.NEVER. I have witnessed some pretty out there work, but I either comment them on piece well made or tell them I was a little shocked or so but I still never tell them to take away from what they have

~Arbiter10123 Oct 13, 2012 Student General Artist

I respect the male and female forms, if I were to take nudes it would be for art, not to expose them.

~Nor-Cal-Photography Oct 8, 2012 Professional Photographer

As the administrator of the group "Artistic Male Nudes", I find this to be quite interesting. It appears to me that (1) men take the vast majority of nude photographs and (2) many men like to show off their genitals with no regard for art. Numerous "cock shots" are submitted to our group and all are declined.

In answer to the question is there too much nude subject mater on DA - No, but (1) there is too much female nude subject matter and (2) there is not enough artistic male nude subject matter.

So, perhaps it is time to turn the tables and have more women photographers and more male subject matter.

*EstrangeloEdessa Oct 3, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

It doesn't matter to me too much what people put up in the artistic nudes category, because I never browse through that category or anywhere else where I run a risk of seeing those tasteless non-art photos. Of course, there are some nude pictures that I truly love. It's just difficult to find them without having to look at all those awful, disgusting - well, basically everything that every other commenter here has commented about.
What really bothers me is when people refuse to use the "Mature Content" warning. I know that there's a lot of gray area around what "Mature Content" is, but when I see one deviation showing a bit of bare shoulder with a warning, and a full-on nude photo without one... well, I feel like people are really not being fair. I respect people's right to put those things up, but I have just as much of a right to not look at them. Discovering an amazing nude photo is great, but I don't want them all shoved in my face.

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