"Why Do You Paint Naked Women, Mommy?"

I was caught off guard when my seven year old daughter asked, “Why do you paint naked women, mommy?” I tried to control the flush that shot into my face and quickly realized that I had a significant responsibility on my shoulders. How do I explain my conscious choice of painting and photographing nude women to a child? I remained calm so it wouldn’t seem like a big deal, took a deep breath and began: “Well, first of all, a nude woman has been considered art for hundreds of years…”

I explore erotic imagery and literature because I’m human and as a human I am just as interested in sex as anyone else. Sexuality rules our bodies and emotions. Unfortunately, much of the porn industry has presented women distastefully and as a result aided in the downward spiral of how women are treated. Women, either consciously or unconsciously allowed themselves to be seen as sex objects. Perhaps you’ve never subjected yourself to become a negative image of femininity but enough women have. Part of that lure has been the obvious desire for money. Sex sells. We all know that. But I believe many women have been sucked into the darker world of sex because they lost the true sense of how to be sexy for the self rather than a man.

There’s a difference between the sensual allure of a sexy goddess and that of a wanna be. Perhaps some women prefer a more raw image. Though I don’t condemn nor condone it, I simply feel the exterior image is usually a manifestation of the inner self. If a woman loves and respects her body and soul then she will present herself respectfully. Once an individual represents himself or herself in a reverent manner, others take notice and act accordingly. Many women have somehow forgotten this vision and their feminine power because they have adapted to the needs and visions of what men wanted sexually rather than placing men in the position of adapting to their visions of sex. This is one of the reasons I’m thrilled to see sites like The Erotic Woman out there because they help to redefine the role women play in erotica and porn.

The feminist movement brought women forward but it also took them a step backwards because the “power woman” syndrome brought us into a playing field we didn’t fully understand. I think we’re entering a new age where it’s time to redefine what it means to be a woman and a feminist. Women know that their sexuality is an incredible gift but it has been stripped from us and given to men for exploitation. First, by the patriarch movement when relics of goddess power were destroyed or hidden and second by the women who became lost in the complication of how to be as good as a man in a man’s world yet still be true to themselves.

Faithfully, a heterosexual man’s penis will rise at the sight or thought of a naked woman. This is an established fact; however, the way a woman chooses to display her sexuality to him has been the problem. I have found that most women have a misconception of what sexy means because men have dominated that image for them. Of course sexy is left to one’s own interpretation, as is beauty. However, female sexiness is usually sensual while the male version is usually raunchy. Many women have turned into this “raunchiness” because that is how they feel inside. Their soul feels raunchy, ugly and disturbed. Why? Perhaps it is because they have forgotten their true worth and inner power. If a woman displays herself in a degrading way, she will ultimately be treated as such.

The fascination with sexual imagery goes back to religious paintings in cathedrals such as the Sistine Chapel where my favorite work sits: Michelangelo’s Creation. Look up at the ceiling and view an artist’s representation of God’s creation of Adam, painted for the observer below, penis exposed by brilliant fresco hues. Throughout art’s history, thousands of images have been produced showing the beauty of the naked body: marble sculptures, paintings, photographs, etc. So what has changed through time where it was once acceptable to have a painting of a nude body on a ceiling of a church but today some cultures get riled with an accidental flash of Janet Jackson’s breast on television, yet negative sexual images of women dominate the media? These hypocritical attitudes send mixed signals to men, women and children with respect to sexuality.

Most men are so conditioned to T & A that they’ve lost sight of the elegant creature inside those body parts. It is the responsibility of women (like always, for everything) to change the misconceptions of our bodies, hearts and minds. I’m not talking about a power struggle to gain respect by proving women are better than men because respect cannot be gained through that type of power struggle. I’m talking about the fact that the human body and our sexuality are sacred and should be treated as such. It’s about respect, for the both sexes and for the self.

My photographs and paintings are an expression of what I consider intelligent sexiness – a respectable version of erotica and porn. Why expose it all when you can use your feminine gifts to lure a man deeper into you (pun intended), on your own terms, by way of making him itch with desire and curiosity? It’s not about controlling him in the fight against all good and evil (woman vs. man) and then radiate strength and power over them. That’s silly. That’s what we’ve done in the past.

We were unprepared for this male-dominant world. Our female ancestors paved the road to new possibilities but we shouldn’t be dominated by the rigors of patriarchy, philosophies that have been twisted into a false sense of truth. By using our brain we can control not only our thoughts but also our self-image and that ultimately equates to controlling our feminine destiny.

This is why I don’t have a problem with my daughter knowing what I do for a living and seeing some of my work. She watches me paint and sometimes paints with me. If I can teach her that there is nothing shameful about sexuality or a nude body when properly presented then I have an avenue in which to lead her into a healthy sense of self, sexually, emotionally, physiologically and wholly. If I teach her to respect herself she will expect nothing less from others. She will be a better woman than we, better than our grandmothers and better than our ancestors. If women can take control by using their minds rather than their bodies, then not only will my daughter be a better woman, your daughter will be too!

The key is showing off the beauty of a woman’s sensuality rather than exploiting her body parts; use mystery to stimulate not only a man’s penis but also his mind. Make him wonder. Make him curious. Make him want us, not our sex. (if he gets us he’ll ultimately get sex anyway!)

What I produce artistically is not about adding another piece of work into our narrow-minded porn industry. My art is there to add a new, respectable and healthy visual image of a woman, her body and her mind.

Spread the word. Your daughters will thank you.

Namaste,
Tatiana von Tauber
www.vontauber.com