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Scott Wilkins

Art and Pornography: Beyond Labels

Discriminating between art and pornography is a continual battle. With arguments
and rhetoric deeply entrenched in the muddled murk of philosophy, it seems that decisive
conclusions will never be known. And having no clear-cut answers leads to sticky situations
for those who want to support good artistic expression.
So how can we, as members of the Church, navigate our visually rich world and
know what is art and what is pornography? Is there are difference? How can we know what
that difference is? Simply put, art is impossible to define. Countless pages have been filled
attempting to solve the eternal mystery: what is art? The key is actually to stop caring
about labels and definitions, because, in reality, the most important thing is what art does,
not what art is.
Art in particular has stretched beyond so many boundaries in the last fifty years that
nearly anything can be art. In some cultures, there is no art as we might define it. African
masks are often not considered art by the tribal people who create them. Even the
ancient Greeks did not have a word for art, 1 yet their society created some of the most awe-
inspiring works this world has ever known.
Defining terms is relevant to what we believe should be censored, because art is
often censored on the basis of whether its pornography. Lets examine a recent cultural
scuffle surrounding a photograph displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Art in
Jacksonville. Among a series of an artists images was an expecting mother reclining on a
couch in a ray of sunlightnude. The controversy was her exposed chest and the
photographs location, which would potentially expose the image to unwilling occupants
and their childrengoing to the museums caf. The city council president deemed the
image pornography and requested the mayor to defund a grant for the museum. The case
eventually settled in favor of the artist. 2
While some may agree with the city council president, others may find it difficult to
see the image as pornography. It is not meant to sexually arouse, but it is a nude woman. So
is it pornography or art? I see an intimate moment of a nude, very pregnant woman
basking in the last bit of afternoon sunlight as she waits for the birth of her child, said the
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artist. The city council president thought it was pornography; the artist thought it was art.
But heres something that no one seemed to ponder: nude or not, pregnant or not, what
effect would the image have on passersby?
Instead, the city council president applied a meaningless label, and unsurprisingly
he received backlash. Whether the image is pornography is irrelevant. Maybe it was, and
maybe it wasnt. Heres something that might surprise you: pornography is art. Being art
does not elevate or justify anything.
The devil-inspired destructive forces are present in our literature, said President
Ezra Taft Benson, in our art, in the movies, on the radio, in our dress, in our dances, on the
TV screen, and even in our modern, so-called popular music. 3
President Boyd K. Packer reiterated the sentiment: Stay away from those
environments, the music, the films, the videos, the clubs, and the associations that draw
you into immoral conduct. 4
President Benson and President Packer did not deny that many evil things are
legitimate literature, art, music, and so on. Their nature is not denied, but their effects are
not condoned.
The mayor of Jacksonville didnt share their attitude. Everybody will have their
own opinion, he said, but I dont think its pornography. Its contemporary art. 5 The
mayor justified the artists photograph by labeling it contemporary art. But we cannot
condone evil by labeling it art! Neither can we necessarily condemn something by calling it
pornography. Labeling Michelangelos David as pornography would not make it any less of
a beautiful masterpiece.
So what do we do? The solution, unfortunately, is not like a black-and-white
photograph. There isnt a clear line to be sure not to cross; we must use what knowledge
and wisdom we can gain and the direction of the Spirit. Above all, remember that creation
is a godly act.
The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul, said
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. 6
We are all artists, or, more accurately, we are all creators. Heavenly Father is a
creator of worlds, and Jehovah also helped Him create this world and many others. We
understand the sacred nature of procreation, the power to create and bring new life into
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the world, a gift Heavenly Father has given us to get a taste of the blessings of eternal life
eternal creation.
Said Elder Neal A. Maxwell,

Artistic and creative expressions that occur in conformity with reality

and with the sublime and eternal truths help to deliver on that
marvelous promise that men are that they might have joy and help us
to have [life] more abundantly by showing us a more excellent way.
And all others who feel creative stirrings within themselves should begin
the journey of a lifetime in partnership with God, who significantly has
accepted as one of His designations the title of Creator. 7

Let us defend the purpose of creation: to glorify God and bring about His
righteousness. Let us recognize the sacred nature of the title Creator.
The only labels we should be concerned about are righteousness and wickedness.
Whatever we or anyone else calls the art we see (or any other media), the nature of what
we consume will not change; remember that all things which are good cometh of God; and
that which is evil cometh of the devil. 8 Whether we create or consume, let us remember to
seek after righteousness and honor our God-given ability to create.

1 Arthur Danto, The Abuse of Beauty: Aesthetics and the Concept of Art (Carus, 2003), xiii.
2 Priscilla Frank, City Councilman Deemed this Nude Pregnant Portrait Pornography, Huffington Post,
December 3, 2014.
3 Ezra Taft Benson, Satans ThrustYouth, Ensign (December 1971).
4 Boyd K. Packer, Ye Are the Temple of God, Ensign (November 2000).
5 Priscilla Frank, City Councilman Deemed this Nude Pregnant Portrait Pornography, Huffington Post,

December 3, 2014.
6 Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Happiness, Your Heritage, Ensign (November 2008).
7 Neal A. Maxwell, Creativity, New Era (August 1982).
8 Moroni 7:12.