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Artistic Nude & Your Child

If you entered a home with your five year old where there was a large artistic nude painting of a man and a woman on the wall would you immediately step back outside, distract your child so she does not see it or do nothing considering it as just 'art'? Regardless of your answer would it make a difference if the painting only showed just a man or just a woman in the nude?

Child and Nude Artistic

Now this is one of those topics that don't necessarily have a right or wrong answer as well as having some variables. Some things that would influence me also would be the context, are they having sex or just nude? Is the painting graphic or vague?

On one side of the spectrum, I don't want to make a big deal about it because I don't want my kids thinking nudity is wrong or bad. But I don't want to expose my children to anything that could corrupt their innocence so young. Distracting is not an option because my kids would catch on and try to find out what I'm hiding.

I think depending on the context of the painting, I would treat it as art. I am open with my kids and they feel free enough to ask me about things like that, which would give me the opportunity to explain the situation including the fact that being naked is not wrong, just not appropriate in public. Nudity in a painting isn't necessarily bad and needs to be handled on a painting by painting bases in my opinion.

Artistic Nude & Your Child UFO & Writing Art Education Sciences

There is an obvious difference between Michelangelo's David and a Playboy centerfold. However, where to draw the line is a good question. To me, if the focus of the art is to arouse sexual feelings, it crosses the line. The mere fact of artistic nudity is not necessarily bad - for example, religious art involving Adam and Eve in the Garden would just not work with them dressed in Speedos or polyester leisure suits. However, when the fact that the subject is nude is the overarching artistic focal point, the painting becomes vulgar and unfit for my children's eyes.

Offtopic but, I grew up in a community with many sculptures, some of them nudes, and my mother was mortified when as little kids, my brother and I would pat the rear end of one particular female statue. She hopes I have ten kids just like me.