You have a problem with that? You believe that nude minors defecating is a subject unsuitable for art? Or for art studies? Please tell me why.
Um, where did you get all that from? 
I just asked what proportions of works of art were of minors defecating.
A very small part.
Of course, “nude minors defecating” is a minuscule part of this assignment. It’s only part of the assignment if that’s the pose the art student herself chooses, out of an almost infinite array of possiblities.
This was my reaction. I am not an artist, and it’s IMHO (which is where this thread may end up), but the art teacher set off my perv meter.
I mean, c’mon! As a teacher (though not of art), my inner perv would love to have nude or scantily clad photos of some of my female students, but I would never dream that I could get away with requiring them to give them to me.
If I were teaching such a course, and had chosen such an assignment for the reasons I’m suggesting above, I’d probably have an (undisclosed) policy of a backup assignment: if a student really expressed abhorrence at complying with my request, flatout refused to do it, after several reminders that it was a requirement of the course, I’d ask for a paper (taking up approximately the same amount of time and effort if the original assignment were done conscientiously) of justifying such a refusal, with footnotes to various sources on contemporary artistic morals, and a warning that I was not looking for an opinion essay but rather a thoroughly researched essay on aesthetic philosophy, conventional morality, etc. that accounted for various points of view not shared by the student.
Of course, you could just buy what we in the UK call a “top shelf” magazine instead :dubious:
I’m not an artist either (though strangely the one bit of art at school I was both genuinely proud of and was quite good was my self portrait) but the teacher seems to be at least going about things in an odd manner.
Nude drawings are common assignments in an art class…having to draw oneself nude is not.
I’ve had a lot of art training and never once did an instructor assign a project such as this. Bringing in a professional nude model, yes. If you want to draw yourself nude as your own choice, normal. But an assignment requiring the entire class to draw themselves nude/skimpily clothed?..that’s weird.
I work at one of the top art schools in the US and I have never heard of such an assignment. I’ve been here 8 years and it’s not like I’m the lunch lady or something - I’m in a position where I would have heard about something like this. Furthermore current students are not allowed to work as models. Faculty are not allowed to hire current students as models for their own work. There are even guidelines regarding the professional models and models can refuse to do poses if they are uncomfortable. There are many protections in place regarding students, faculty, models and nudity.
Is this assignment legal? I don’t know. It is not ethical, I can tell you that.
Some students will voluntarily be nude for an assignment of their own. It’s allowed, but often the student finds that there are unforeseen consequences and they wish they had not done it.
Re: my above post. Students can be nude in their own projects, not assignments. I wanted to clarify that they aren’t posing nude during class time, but for themselves in their studios. Even so, it’s not common.
“Doing something you would normally do naked”: Sleeping, under the covers; no body parts showing, clothed or otherwise. Showering, behind the shower curtain.
Granted, he gets to veto the picture ahead of time, but these two satisfy the specific examples stated in his assignment. See if he has the stones to say, “No, actually, I wanted you to bring in a nude picture of you for me to look at; if you’re squeamish about that, you can wear lingerie.”
sorry for the hijack, but I’m way,way confused here: doctors refuse to treat half the population? Huh? Didnt the Taliban have rules like that?
If you refuse to look at naked bodies, maybe you shouldnt choose a career in medicine. ???
I would say havinfg the students draw themselves nude is probably an OK exercise. It’s the photograph part that icks me out. I can’t see at all what the teacher needs that for. Not only is it pervy, but as a State-School shitkicker, my first thought was, “Did he say in the course description that a camera was required?”
The whole assignment just sounds like some perv’s scheme to get students bring him nudie “voyeur” photos of themselves for his own gratification. I guess it’s probably not illegal to make the request but it’s inappropriate and creepy as hell. Aking for drawings is one thing (if still borderline, IMO) but demanding to see photographs is another. And I am not assuaged by the “::pant pant:: It’s ok, you can wear your panties.” Defense.
Well, a female obstetrician won’t see many penii at work, only the result of their work 
To the OP, IANAAM but I do feel there is some relevance to the ideas presented with regards to pushing ones personal comfort zone a bit as well as exploring your own perceptions of your own body. One thing i did notice was the op stated bring the photo to “show him” not keep for his private collection. Could this be akin to getting approval for the assignment akin to many other self selected writing assignments. With the partial covering guidelines most modesty issues can be handled IMO. At the same time is there a specified style of work. Does this have to be a detailed pencil sketch down to every last pore and hair or would more broad stroke or impressionistic painting techniques that lack accurate detail or may even subdue or exaggerate certain body parts be acceptable as well.
In ways a little voice inside me keeps saying, hell, cops get maced and tasered in their training, why should an artist fear a semi-nude self portrait.
Oh, and I asked around here at work and was told “a good art school wouldn’t have you draw from a photo”. How true that is, I don’t now. I believe it’s not a common practice here though whether it’s a nude self-portrait or a still life. I vote for perv.
I really must apologize for all this consecutive posting, but I had another thought. What is the benefit to a nude self-portrait vs. drawing the model anyway?
In response to those wondering what value it is to draw a picture of yourself–self portraiture is included in fine arts curricula for a reason. It forces the student to confront a subject with whom he or she is intimately involved. It can be immensely challenging and immensely rewarding.
Similarly, fine arts curricula frequently force students to reveal themselves in uncomfortable ways. Being an artist often means laying your inner self out for all to see. Students have to explore their own boundaries. An arts class should allow, or even force, a student to break through those boundaries, while still remaining in a “safe” environment.
Consider acting classes, where a (stereo)typical activity has the students crawling around and barking like dogs. The fact that it is a class means that the teacher has far more coercive power than some random person who might tell you to get down on all fours and bark like a dog. The teacher can make you do it. But the class setting also means that the behavior is acceptable. Your peers aren’t going disdain you for doing it, because they’re doing it too (or maybe they’re next in line). If some outsider sees you doing it and questions your sanity, the teacher can just explain it’s a class exercise. In contrast, if you were to get down on all fours and bark like a dog in some public place like a subway platform, you’re likely to be hauled away to the funny farm.
Clearly, I believe that a certain amount of coercion and discomfort is necessary and useful in high-level fine arts training. The teacher in the OP, however, is WAY out of line.
A good arts class will force a student to get comfortable with nudity by drawing nude models. Some students will take it further and draw themselves nude. That’s fine.
A good arts class will force a student to show parts of himself or herself that they’d normally keep private. But that doesn’t mean physical parts! It means thoughts and ideas and even fantasies.*
If the assignment were to draw yourself doing something that you’d normally only do in private, that would be acceptable. There’s something to be said for putting something you’re ashamed of out on display. The students could draw themselves nude if they wanted, or picking their noses, or engaging in their secret hobby of playing with Barbie dolls. To make the students push their own limits is a good thing.
But having an assignment that forces the students to give nakey photos to the teacher? Totally pervy.
- One of my best friend’s freshman projects at her top-rated fine arts school was a self portrait. I think it was supposed to show a private fantasy version of herself or something. In pastels. On 24" x 36" paper. So she drew herself facing forward, clothed, looking typically demure. Just over her shoulder, is this totally ravishing big-haired vixen version of herself, head thrown back in inherent ecstasy. So why do I remember this freshman project from 15 years ago? Because her mother loooved it, had it framed, and has it hanging in the most prominent spot in her house. She refuses to move it or take it down. How would you like to have your 18-year-old fantasy version of yourself, larger than life and in living color, displayed for all to see? :eek: There’s really no question about what it depicts either. Everybody who sees it is like “K thinks of herself that way? Wow.” Poor K.
if it’s a self-portrait of oneself in a ‘candid’ moment, it’s a bit hard to pose and be candid, hence the photo to work from. I can barely see the ‘reasoning’ that could be used for requiring a photograph to make this assignment.
That said, it does squee me out a bit; I’d consider asking for an optional assignment or just go totally TMI - nose picking after a steamy shower with steam obscuring the reflection of my front and a strategically placed towel obscuring the back (what a trick of timer, tripod, and camera that would be, assuming that as an art student I owned or could borrow those).
Or swap classes, citing the assignment and lack of an option as a reason.
Yeah, I could use an elaboration on that phrase, never heard it before. If the girl’s in a bathing suit, with neither breasts nor lower naughty bits exposed, does that count?
I love this story and just know that, in my declining years, I am going to start telling it about one of our students and be convinced it’s really about that person.