Thursday, April 28, 2011

no nakie art!

Hum....we are almost done with our middle ages unit and are ready to look at the art of the Renaissance. As I am collecting images to share with the kids I am struck by how few works I can show because I can not show any type of nudity in any form.
can't show Birth of Venus...

or David....

or the most famous part of the Sistine Chapel

or da Vinci's Vitruvian man

That's just a few really important pieces of art that I'm not allowed to show....am I really going to have to photo shop fig leafs onto all of these works of art...and a coconut shell bra on the Venus?

Any ideas on how to deal with the issue of not showing any nudity but still sharing great art?
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7 comments:

  1. NenaApril 28, 2011 at 8:17 AM

    I'm in the same boat you are, and I'm a high school art teacher. I've been told by administration to watch what I show. So much for a high quality art education. Let me know what you come up with.

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  2. ArtfulArtsyAmyApril 28, 2011 at 10:03 AM

    I could wax on how Michaelangelo technically isn't a Renaissance artist, but instead is moving towards Mannerism and Rococo, but for general purposes he is Renaissance. . .Also, Giotto, is often referred to as Medieval, but is considered the first Renaissance artist by many art historians because of his devotion to architecture and humanity. He is known as the first artist to give Jesus a "happy trail" on his lower abdomen. Previously, it was considered "too human" to include this on Jesus. Showing Giotto's work and Michaelangelo's work would show a large range of development throughout the Renaissance.

    Mona Lisa Leonarda Da Vinci
    Libyan Sibyl Michaelangelo
    Pieta Michaelangelo
    School of Athens Raphael
    Arena Chapels Marian Cycle by Giotto
    Bronze doors of Ghiberti
    Battle of San Romano by Uccello
    St. George and The Dragon Uccello
    Hunt in the Forest Uccello
    The Ecstasy of St. Teresa by Bernini
    The Last Supper Ghirlandaio
    Annuniciation by Botticelli
    Basilica Santa Maria del Fiore by Cambio and Brunelleschi

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  3. PhyllisApril 28, 2011 at 11:16 AM

    I crop mine to crop out the nudity. They still get to see most of the pieces and learn to appreciate them. We studied David this week, from the waist up. Still alot to appreciate.

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  4. AbbyApril 28, 2011 at 3:41 PM

    I saw one art teacher draw some brown boxer shorts on the Vitruvian man. They almost look like they belong there.

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  5. GT GoddessApril 30, 2011 at 12:18 PM

    I put a fig leaf on a greek statue (and you don't even have to photoshop, its an available clip art in PowerPoint if that's what you use to project images) and it started a nice discussion of censorship, school rules, and what kids should be able to see and study. "Teachable moment," right?

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  6. Miss FauveMay 10, 2011 at 10:30 PM

    I must agree with GT Goddess. What about a nice discussion of which pope ran about with a hammer and whacked off all the bits of the nude statues? Can't remember his name off the top of my head. Thanks so much for all the great ideas by the way. I am the Art Literacy coordinator for Dilly Elementary in Forest Grove and I really appreciate you!
    ~Jenn Scott

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  7. JenPAugust 3, 2012 at 5:52 AM

    I usually save a photo as an "image" then put it into iphoto (on my mac). Once in iphoto I can "retouch" the photo to lose the offending areas. I have found that a nude woman is less offensive and giggle-starting when you get rid of the nipples.

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