I was raised in a religious free family and have stayed an atheist and am very against Bill Henson and have been against him for quite a few years. I am also an artist and am not the only artist who feels this way, I have spoken to religious, atheist , left and right wing artists who find it repugnant.

Steel whilst I stayed out of "the gang" on the other thread huffnpuff's post here does not prove your attack on the other thread correct. It's almost on topic, is not attacking any other posters etc.
I happen to disagree with huffnpuff on this issue and I'm not personally a great fan of huffnpuff's writing style but neither is a sign of madness.

You do your own case harm by personal attacks on someone like huffnpuff who has been through a great deal and who is trying to do something about it.

I agree with you on the broader issue but you've picked the wrong target in huffnpuff. Save it for those trying to do harm rather than decent people who you disagree with such as huffnpuff. If you want to be nasty there are several much more deserving candidates for your attention on these threads (no list necessary I'm sure).

R0bert

Dear CJ,

I didn't question the talent of Bill Henson. Nor did I have a problem with his photographing nudes. What I said was that I understood why some people would feel considerable unease about the fact that Henson had chosen as his subject matter, 12 to 13 year old children, and the fact that he chose to photograph them naked.

I believe it was Bronwyn who said that art has to be looked at in the context of the time in which it was created. And the time that we currently live in - where child abuse is so prevalent as is familial abuse - should help us understand why some people would feel uneasy about Henson's work. I also added that I did not expect others to agree with me.

As Graham pointed out - this is not a religious issue. At least not for me, and many others.

CJ while not art critics, many of my Christian friends have disagreed with me (an atheist) about Henson's work. For me it is not a religious issue at all but a line between the rights of artistic expression and freedoms vs the protection of children and sexualising of children in whatever medium (both indirectly and directly via the art in question).

Religion might perhaps influence perspective but one cannot assume that all Christians are the same in the same way that feminists might be categorized. But I know you know that. :)

Perhaps well known Christian art critics are less vocal because of fear of alienating other Christians or perhaps they are finding their own 'line' a bit blurred on this issue. Who knows?

Art and artistic taste can only exist in an arena of tolerance.

If it is not, we all lose.

Degenerate art was vilified by Hitler in the 1930’s. The work of Gustav Klimt (a favorite of mine, among the contemporaries) was ridiculed.

Art as defined, prescribed and approved by the Church of Rome dominated the work up and through the renaissance, a supposedly Christian action no different in outcome to that of Hitler (mind you the art of the castrati was also much appreciated and pursued by the same religious organization, hence recruitment of some poor boys to surrender their reproductive options for the exclusive entertainment of cardinals).

We, as people, are more tolerant and have moved away from both the dogma of Rome and the dictates of Berlin.

We, as people, can only expect our individual rights to be respected to the extent we respect the right of others to dissent.

I accept the right of Christians to hold views and possibly dissent with what I believe and will defend their right to express that dissent.

A lot of so called art, the shlock which hangs in galleries and ‘installation’ pieces, the product of creative plumbers, does nothing for me, similarly, a lot of music does nothing either.

I will express my disapproval to the quality of the piece and will change radio station to listen to what I prefer and avoid sermons from the pulpit but I do not seek the impose the refinement of my taste on the lovers of shlock, the head bangers or the strident zealots of the religious right.

All I ask is to leave me free to leave you alone and I will do the same.

Col:

All I ask is to leave me free to leave you alone and I will do the same.

See I don't think that an adult taking that rather large and personal choice for a child is leaving them alone.. it is taking to much, we chose 18 as an age of consent for a reason... this is more than just a skinny dipping at the beach type nakedness.... How may this girl feel at 25, 35?
Also that it is an artists' right is a joke, Is it my fathers right to start photographing me naked when i am a mere child or the bloke nxt door etc? no