From the editor

When publishing a magazine like The New Nude we walk a very fine and difficult line. It's a line many museum curators and publishers have faced before, but never on such a grand or consistent scale.

How do we maintain artistic integrity when showcasing a subject that is so often considered lewd, distasteful, or pornographic? How do we define what is considered art and what is simply adult trash when opinions on the matter are as individual and unique as preferences in food or feature films? An even greater challenge arises when publishing an international magazine to a variety of cultures with varying opinions on the matter.

Before I even begin to attempt some kind of answer to those questions that plague all of our efforts I think it's important to note; nude photography is not an art form for everyone. Unlike other genres such as portraiture it isn't universally loved or even accepted. It takes a special kind of person to see its artistic values, who can see beyond its shock effect. It takes the kind of person who can eloquently speak on the difference between nude and naked and the individual who equally appreciates the fantasy of the ideal and the beauty in the real.

It is precisely this fact that drives what we do and sheds some light on to our many questions of artistic intent. The word 'art' is something that can very rarely be defined with orders or simple definitions. It is more of a feeling, one often shared within select groups of like minded individuals. In the case of the nude it is an elite club of men and women that span every country in the world and have shared this aesthetic joy since the first chapters in the history of visual culture.

Among those who share this appreciation are the many photographers we have gathered in our Spring 2006 issue of The New Nude. First and foremost is the photographer who is no stranger to controversy; the late Helmut Newton. Perhaps more then any photographer I know he has walked the line between the dazzling and the indecent his entire career. We also bring you the portfolios of several photographers working out of Brazil, a country known for its wild jungles and an art world that knows no boundaries. Combine this with portfolios from the likes of Vee Speers and Todd Essick, and you have the makings of one spectacular issue.

So the short answer to my question is that we simply do not define that invisible line between what is artistic and what is not. We don't define it because in large part it is impossible. Artistic intent is something we must feel based on instinct and good judgment. Perhaps I am not being intellectual enough when I say this but when one sees good art they often simply just know. Sometimes we might get it wrong, but we'll leave that up to our readers to decide. I for one feel that so far we are spot on.

Andrew Kaiser
editor@newnudemag.com