Bill GreenHenson's artistic sensitivities before Rudd's artistic ignorance
May 25th 2008 03:30
The appalling treatment of artists in Australia is epitomised by Bill Henson's ordeal over his photographs showing a girl in some of the most graceful and tasteful shots of any naked model I've observed.
I remember covering the trial of Phillip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint that was railed against by such stalwarts of the community like attorney-general, Sir Arthur Rylah who, incidentally liked hurting women with whom he had sex. One particularly nasty incident occurred with a woman with whom he had traveled to the Gold Coast. Portnoy's Complaint was a funny novel that allowed adolescents to escape the ignorance of their sexuality. He was also under house arrest for twenty-four hours as a suspect in his wife's death.
Henson's shots allow girls to see their true beauty rather than being weighed down by the incredible harrnful idiocies (fanciful and scantily clad girls whose ages we don't ask about) foisted on them by the silly magazines published by Packer and Murdoch. Henson's photographs pay homage to the beauty of the young, no matter that they appear to be homeless and neglected. The shots require a human response.
Is Australia about to return to the insensitive times in the fifties when no one knew anything about their own sensitivities? They will if our esteemed pm has anything to do with it. He really has no idea about what is pornography and what is art. After all he has no response to advertising that is geared to young consumers. If they buy certain products they'll have better sex and with others they don't need love or companionship, but replace it with the pleasure of eating themselves to ill health.
Henson's shots are about love and compassion and in no way conform to the rites of pornography.Rudd's outburst shows he's not much more than a cardboard man.
I remember covering the trial of Phillip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint that was railed against by such stalwarts of the community like attorney-general, Sir Arthur Rylah who, incidentally liked hurting women with whom he had sex. One particularly nasty incident occurred with a woman with whom he had traveled to the Gold Coast. Portnoy's Complaint was a funny novel that allowed adolescents to escape the ignorance of their sexuality. He was also under house arrest for twenty-four hours as a suspect in his wife's death.
Henson's shots allow girls to see their true beauty rather than being weighed down by the incredible harrnful idiocies (fanciful and scantily clad girls whose ages we don't ask about) foisted on them by the silly magazines published by Packer and Murdoch. Henson's photographs pay homage to the beauty of the young, no matter that they appear to be homeless and neglected. The shots require a human response.
Is Australia about to return to the insensitive times in the fifties when no one knew anything about their own sensitivities? They will if our esteemed pm has anything to do with it. He really has no idea about what is pornography and what is art. After all he has no response to advertising that is geared to young consumers. If they buy certain products they'll have better sex and with others they don't need love or companionship, but replace it with the pleasure of eating themselves to ill health.
Henson's shots are about love and compassion and in no way conform to the rites of pornography.Rudd's outburst shows he's not much more than a cardboard man.
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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Artist Quirk
brilliant interpretation!
that is the first time ive heard the merits of the works summed up so eloquently . . . there is much to see in his art other than just the nudity
(CLICKHERE for the article i posted on Artist Quirk)