Since the Renaissance, paintings of the female nude have been based on classical and traditional themes and perspectives such as Greek mythology. Protocol has drawn a line distinguishing art and pornography through thehistory of this style. Specifically, the models' are posed in such a way that avoids displaying their vagina or pubic hair.
In classical themes, mythological paintings are only a pretext for creating a nude image. These paintings have been established as a mainstream in the man-dominant society fueled by the desire of heterosexual males, eager to see the nude feminine form. The nude as fine art is simply an adaptation of the naked female body. Separated from a real nude by fine art protocol. There, flesh is exposed with erotic expression and paintings that intricately depict skin are especially amorous.
Considering feminism art, its popular motif is a female nude. Ironically, nudes as a superficial images catch our attention. That is within a system where naked women bodies are gazed by the eye of men's desire. With a tacit consent, we are not officially against the existence of the female nude. But our perception forces us to see something that actually exists as something that doesn't exist. It all converges into a gaze of man's desire against the authors' intention.
We find the same system in the subject of antiwar. Antiwar subjects and pro-war subjects have expressions too similar to be distinguished from each other. It is often difficult to recognize them as an ironical use of image or as a question-raising.
Mythological paintings depict and show nudes under the theme of describing myths. Feminism art expresses naked women objecting to female nude and nakedness as fetishistic objects.
In contemporary Japan, mythological paintings become a dead letter because most Japanese are not familiar with Greek mythology, and don't share the same traditions. There, Fine Art is also not authentic, just imported from the West. It is based on western traditions, western histories, and western contexts. Japanese ideas about Fine Art are based on their own art. The average Japanese person has no clue about Western history and its traditions.
My art explores the tradition of mythological paintings that is similarly undefined in philosophy as my motif of "gravure idols" (Japanese for Cover-girls). It is a fine art field that is developing in Japan. Nudes reflect their time, their area, their customs, their culture, and their concepts of body. Gravure idols for men's magazines represent female nudes as the icon of a modern consuming culture.
Let us consider the works of such photography of girls under the age of 18 who expose bare flesh and partially hide their nipples or hair only with bathing suits or lingerie. If they are not over "the line," they are accepted as non-pornography. It is just like the mythological paintings of nudes. However, they are photographed as obviously erotic pictures through men's eye.
As far as it is within the moral protocol, the nude as a fine art is not defined as a porno and accepted to public even if it appears voluptuous and suggestive. Ironically, the paintings that express this fact have been criticized from eyes that perceive desire, yet praised from eyes that perceive art.
English translation by Chie Yamayoshi