Nudity , or nakedness , is a state of being in which a human is not wearing clothing or is not covering the genitals. Nakedness was the natural state of human beings in the tropical climates where they first evolved and continues to be the norm in many isolated indigenous societies during the 21st century. The modern understanding of nudity is culturally complex due to different meanings given various states of undress in differing social situations.

Art Description
Nudity and children
What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful that the garment with which it is clothed? Some people feel that the nude form is something that should be hidden away both in art and the artist's classroom. Although this may seem at first like a mere annoyance, such people frequently attempt to stop others from viewing or learning from the human form, thereby infringing on their rights to create and consume art as they wish.
My Replies
Ruth Barcan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Has anything changed in the decade since I wrote a book about nudity? What bigger issues does the seemingly frivolous topic of nudity point to today? There was a precise moment when I realised this. He offered me a tiny towel that only just covered the essentials. At the time, I saw nakedness as paradoxical — mundane yet controversial, simultaneously natural and unnatural. For there is a fundamental ambiguity in the nature of human existence: humans are originally naked for however brief a moment! Humans may be naturally naked, but we have used clothing to define our species, and to differentiate ourselves from each other. Nakedness is also conceptually interesting.
In Postmodern criticism, this image has been used to illustrate the power of perspective and the strong patriarchal nature of early modern culture with the strong division of gender roles. It is also cited in discussions of the cultural construction of the nude in Western Art since the Renaissance. The following are excerpts from contemporary critics exploring the implications of this image:.