I was recently trying to find the "Day Books" of Edward Weston at a local library and they showed in the catalog but were "Removed From Circulation". I went to ask for help and as soon as I mentioned the books by name the Librarian gave me this weird look and asked why I was looking for them? I explained my work and that I was wanting to read again Weston’s thoughts and discussions on the difficulty of surviving as an artist. And that seemed to reassure her that I shouldn’t be arrested and she went on to say that the library board had removed the books from circulation due to “inappropriate interest” by several members of the community. That caught my attention but I still didn’t know what she meant.
The nude photos he had done of his young sons have now been labeled as child pornography!
The nude photos he had done of his young sons have now been labeled as child pornography!
How many artists throughout history -- from Botticelli to Anne Geddes -- have attempted to capture the beauty of young children? I have a number of images of my two year old son on the day he wandered into the back yard naked except for his beloved rubber boots. Is this child porn?
Where is the line drawn? And what are we losing in drawing this line? There is no doubt that pedophilia is one of the most deplorable crimes in existence but it is very sad that we feel we have to outlaw the artistic exploration of the beauty of children because of a small minority of incorrectly hard-wired individuals.
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