Graduate Art Seminar: art & Body/ art & Identity

This weeks chapters were very related. When reading the chapter about the body I found myself thinking about how much was missing. I included images below that are objects that are realized by being placed on the body.

For the chapter on art and the body, I spent a lot of time thinking about nudity and nakedness. What is the difference between the two? Is their a benefit in creating a distinction? If there is a difference, is it still relevant today? I think these defining characteristics will also change based on the medium that is being used. Photography inevitably exposes more truth when creating an image of the body than painting does.

I also felt unresolved regarding power relationships and nudity. While feminists in the 60s and 70s had clear logic for using their bodies to regain control, I am curious how power shifts when the body is used now. No matter the level of confidence someone has, being naked is an inevitably associated with being vulnerable. You have lost a protective barrier between yourself and the world. I am not sure who has the "upper hand" in these scenarios, or if it is this tension that makes nudity such a powerful tool.