PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 1

ABSTRACT

Nudes have been prominent in paintings since time immemorial and play an

essential role in paintings’ reputation as a medium for fine art. The nude concept

continues to be controversial especially within realism. Lack of clothing in an artistic

context usually reflects societal standards in relation to morality and aesthetics (Chacko,

2010).

This descriptive study was conducted to 44 students of the Grade-12 students of

Baguio City National High School-Senior High School through random sampling. The

researchers asked permission before providing the respondents with survey

questionnaires and the data gathered were analyzed through in-depth reading and

reviewing.

In total, majority of the Grade-12 student respondents agree upon the fact that

nude painting represents a specific message from the artist wherein you need to digest the

message in order to understand the painting together with nude painting expresses one’s

feelings, emotions, and thoughts through the nude body painted and finally nude painting

is a form of art that should be respected. With the themes that surfaced, a) Freedom of

expression; b) Appreciation; c) Negativity

Overall, the findings indicated that most of the Grade-12 students of Baguio City

National High School-Senior High School does not agree with the questions asked that

nude painting is related to as a form of pornography and to negative causes. Moreover we

suggest that the study needs to be done with a larger number of respondents in order to

improve the capabilities of the study.

PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 2

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Nudity in paintings has generally reflected social standards of the time in

aesthetics and modesty and morality. Over the span of centuries, the nude human figure

has been painted, sculptured, photographed, etched, and illustrated. It shocked the public,

it was banned, it was a taboo, it was criticized, praised, and exhibited, and it has caused

many people to feel a whole range of emotions, from anger to happiness, from excitement

to melancholy (Moriarty, 2016).

Nudes have been prominent in paintings since time immemorial and play an

essential role in paintings’ reputation as a medium for fine art. The nude concept

continues to be controversial especially within realism. Lack of clothing in an artistic

context usually reflects societal standards in relation to morality and aesthetics. The

naked body is viewed symbolically as an extension of complex metaphors. When the

body is in its bare form, the artist has more creative freedom to express different

emotions such as anger, tension, desperation, and power as well as making it easier to

express movement. The Renaissance era was critical for eliminating the humiliation and

shame that was linked to nudity (Chacko, 2010).

The nude was a particular focus of artistic innovation in the Renaissance and later

academic traditions of the seventeenth century and after. The nude figure in paintings

was, and continues to be, one of the most popular forms of expression, and today, in the

world of contemporary art, depictions of naked people are everywhere, questioning the
PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 3

effects of nude paintings and blurring the line of when is nudity considered an art and

considered as pornography (Sorabella, 2008).

According to Masoner (2018), art is an expression of human creativity. It isn’t

appreciated solely for its beauty of emotional power- the best art causes an emotional

response in the viewer. Art is the process of using one’s skills and imagination in creating

and sharing objects, experiences and conditions which stimulates the thoughts or ideas,

emotions, and beliefs of the audience through their senses. People have been creating

works of art since ancient times as evidenced by many artifacts discovered in ruins of

ancient civilizations.

Atta (2011) states that there are several meanings for the word art but it depends

on where the person is and what the person wants to do. Atta explains that art simply

means doing something that will be accepted by the society by referring to different

dimensions in art, such as dancing, walking, and dressing. It signifies that there are

special ways of doing something which should be accepted by the society in which the

individual belongs.

According to Jenkins (2018), Pornography is a representation of sexual behavior

in books, pictures, statues, motion as derived from the Greek porni means ‘prostitute’ and

graphein means ‘to write’, was originally defined any work of art or literature depicting

the life of prostitutes. Because the very definition of pornography is subjective, a history

of pornography is nearly impossible to conceive, imagery that might be considered erotic

or even religious in one society may be condemned as pornographic in another.

PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 4

Statement of the Problem

This study generally sought to determine the perceptions of Grade 12 students of

Baguio City National High School- Senior High School toward nude paintings. More

precisely, it attempted to provide answers to the following questions:

1. What are the perceptions of the Grade-12 students toward nude paintings?

2. What is the degree of the perceptions of the Grade-12 students toward nude

paintings?

3. What is the impact of nude paintings to Grade-12 students of Baguio City

National High School- Senior High School?

Significance of the Study

This topic was chosen because of the researchers’ desire to work with a section of

human creativity in accordance to the Arts and Design Track to understand a small scope

in the wide field of art, which is an interesting and fascinating subject that has an

important part in life. The different visual forms are the best way to express your

creativity and to spice it up with a mixture of nudity which creates an interesting topic

that incorporates artistry and sexuality wherein both art and sex plays a powerful role in

society.

This study aimed to determine the perceptions of Grade-12 students of Baguio

City National High School toward nude paintings. It hoped to provide insights to the
PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 5

Grade-12 students of today about nude paintings. The research findings of this study will

serve as a useful tool for general public as a form of education on nude painting. It will

also benefit students and lecturers on the effects or impacts of nude paintings and on the

distinction between art and pornography in painting.

Scope and Delimitation

The respondents are Grade-12 students of Baguio City National High School-

Senior High School. The tracks are ABM (Accountancy and Business Management),

HUMSS (Humanities and Social Sciences), Arts and Design, TVL (Technical Vocational

Livelihood), and Sports. Since there are 534 (five hundred thirty four) Grade-12 Senior

High School students, almost 10% of the population will serve as our respondents which

is 44 students.
PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 6

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The researchers used a quantitative study specifically descriptive since the topic is

about the Perceptions of Grade-12 students of Baguio City National High School- Senior

High School toward nude paintings. Survey questionnaires were distributed to the

participants using the following survey questions: (1) What are your perception toward

nude paintings? (2) How do you feel about nude paintings? (3) How does nude paintings

affect your mindset?

Sampling and Procedure

Random sampling was utilized for the respondents. The respondents were the

Grade-12 students of Baguio City National High School-Senior High School. The

researchers used survey questionnaires to acquire necessary informations about the

perceptions of grade-12 students toward nude paintings.

The researchers asked permission from the respondents before providing them

with questionnaires. Data were gathered after the respondents answered the

questionnaires. All the data gathered was kept with utmost confidentiality and will be

used for educational purposes only.

Analysis of Data
PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 7

The gathered information was analyzed through in-depth reading and reviewing.

Statements answered by the respondents was ranked and categorized into four top most

significant answers according to the four (4) ratings; (1) Not Serious (2) Slightly Serious

(3) Serious (4) Very Serious. The information gathered was read and reread by the

researchers to know the perceptions of Grade-12 students toward nude paintings.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

To answer the questions sought in this study, the data gathered were organized,

treated statistically and interpreted. Results of the data gathered in this research are

presented in the succeeding tables and discussions.

Table 1. The Perceptions of Grade-12 students toward nude paintings.

Statements 4 3 2 1 T Description
A. Nude paintings are inappropriate that should 0.09 0.4 0.64 0.4 1.66 Not Serious
not be considered as an art. 8 5
B. It is a form of art that should be respected. 1.73 1.2 0.36 0 3.32 Serious
3
C. It contains malicious content that should not 0.27 0.4 0.95 0.2 1.83 Slightly
be revealed. 1 0 Serious
D. It represents a specific message from the 2.18 0.8 0.27 0 3.27 Serious
artist wherein you need to digest the message 2
in order to understand the painting.
E. It makes me feel disgusted about the human 0.09 0.3 0.41 0.6 1.48 Not Serious
body portrayed on the painting. 4 4
F. It expresses one’s feelings, emotions, and 1.82 0.8 0.36 0.0 3.09 Serious
thoughts through the nude body painted. 9 2
G. Implies negative thoughts toward the 0.09 0.3 0.86 0.3 1.63 Not Serious
viewer’s perception. 4 4
H. Nude painting are not considered as 1 1.1 0.5 0.5 3.16 Serious
pornography since painting is an art. 6
I. Nude paintings are wonder-striking. 1.36 1.0 0.5 0.0 2.95 Serious
2 7
J. Nude paintings are only for mature viewers 1.36 0.7 0.41 0.1 2.68 Serious
since the young audience does not know 5 6
something about nude paintings yet.
4- Very Serious [3.41-4.20] 3- Serious [2.61-3.40]
2- Slightly Serious [1.81-2.60] 1- Not Serious [1.00-1.80]
PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 8

Table 1 shows that the top most preferred by the Grade-12 students is that nude

painting is a form of art that should be respected. According to Atta (2011), art is doing

something that will be accepted by the society regarding the different dimensions in art.

There are special ways of doing something which should be accepted by the society

which the individual belongs. One of the respondent said that nude painting “must be

respected and taken open-mindedly”, while another stated “Art knows no boundaries, it

cannot be put into limit because of one’s imagination, and thus nude painting should be

respected”. Based on the respondents’ response, nude painting should be respected and

accepted that needs to be interpreted with maturity and open-mindedly.

In the degree of the perception of Grade-12 students toward nude paintings, the

first is nude painting is a form of art that should be respected. Next, nude painting

represents a specific message from the artist wherein you need to digest the message in

order to understand the painting. Third, nude paintings are not considered as pornography

since painting is an art. And lastly, nude painting expresses one’s feelings, emotions, and

thoughts through the nude body painted.

Masoner (2018) said that ‘art is an expression of human creativity’ and best art

causes an emotional response in the viewer. Based on the response of the respondents, it

has come to a realization that an art with a subject of nudity in painting is a form of

expression of an artist where it expresses one’s feelings, emotions, and thoughts through

the nude body painted.

According to one of the respondents, nude paintings “portrays the human body

where artists are able to freely express themselves”. This response shows that nude
PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 9

painting is a form of freedom of expression by the artist where it expresses feelings,

emotions and thoughts.

While there are people who try to understand the deeper meaning and accept and

respects the nude painting, it cannot be avoided that there are still who are not fond of the

subject nudity in painting. A respondent said that nude painting “makes me embarrass

and don’t have respect for ourselves” while another said “I feel awkward when I see nude

paintings”. This just shows that nude painting can also cause negative feelings to some

people.

Table 2. How does nude paintings affect Grade-12 students’ mindset?

NO Rank
A Does nude paintings encourage you to be aroused? 40 2
.
B. Do you consider nude paintings as a form of malicious act by 37 3
specifically looking at certain parts of the human body?
C. Do you consider nude paintings as pornography since it has no 43 1
different in the forms?
D Nude paintings causes a person to visit porn sites on the internet. 36 4
.
E. Is there any instances that nude paintings affect you in a negative 30 5
way?

Table 2 shows the rank of the perceptions of students who answered NO and

disagrees regarding the negative questions asked. The top ranked which most students

agrees with is that they don’t consider nude paintings as pornography just because it has

no difference in the forms. It just shows that majority of the respondents do not agree

with the questions relating to nude painting as pornography.

PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 10

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the top majority perception of Grade-12 students is that nude

painting is a form of art that should be respected with Atta (2011) saying that an art is

doing something that will be accepted by the society regarding the different dimensions

in art. In the degree of the perception of the students toward nude paintings, there are four

top most preferred by the Grade-12 students, these are 1) Nude painting is a form of art

that should be respected; 2) Nude painting represents a specific message from the artist

wherein you need to digest the message in order to understand the painting; 3) Nude

painting are not considered as pornography since painting is an art; 4) Nude painting

expresses one’s feelings, emotions, and thoughts through the nude body painted. The impact of

nude painting to Grade-12 students of Baguio City National High School is that majority

of them does not agree with the questions asked that nude painting is related to as a form

of pornography and to negative causes.

PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 11

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Nude paintings could be taught to students in their CPAR subject for the students

to be guided regarding this art form.

2. We recommend that students of BCNHS-SHS often visit art galleries even though

it does not contain any nude paintings, or any nude related artworks but the reason

behind is they get to have the chance to witness how an artist connects towards

his/her works regardless of the subject or matter of the artists’ output, whereby

he/she demonstrates how it became an art.

3. Ample amount of time must be managed for the future researchers in collecting

data to avoid problems when respondents are not available at the time of data

gathering.

4. For future researchers, we recommend that the study needs to be done with a

larger number of respondents in order to improve the capabilities of the study.

PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 12

REFERENCES

Atta, K. A. (2011, June). Nudity in painting: art or pornography? A case study of the
department of painting and sculpture. Retrieved on November 21, 2018 from
www.google.com/Final.pdf
Chacko, T. (2010). The nude and art. Retrieved on November 21, 2018 from
https://understandingpaintings.wordpress.com
Jenkins, J. P. (2018). Pornography sociology. Retrieved on November 21, 2018 from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/pornography
Masoner, L. (2018, April 29). Nude photography: is it art or porn? Retrieved on
November 21, 2018 from https://www.thesprucecrafts.com
Moriarty, A. (2016, May 05). Contemporaneity brought a different perception of a nude
figure in art. Retrieved on November 21, 2018 from www.widewalls.ch/nude
figure in-art/

Sorabella, J. (2008, January). The nude in western art and its beginnings in antiquity.
Retrieved on November 21, 2018 from
www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nuan/hd_nuan.htm
PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 13

APPENDIX A

Department of Education
Cordillera Administrative Region
Division of Baguio City
Baguio City National High School
Senior High School
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City

January 11, 2019

LEONARDO T. ZAMBRANO
Assistant Secondary School Principal II
Senior High School

Sir:

Warmest Greetings!

We are students of Baguio City National High School, Grade-12 Arts & Design strand in
Conducting Research entitled “The Perceptions of Grade-12 Students of Baguio City National
High School-Senior High School toward Nude Paintings” which is a requirement in our subject
Inquiries, Investigation and Immersion.

In this regard, may we ask your permission to allow us to administer our questionnaire to the
Grade-12 students of BCNHS-SHS as our respondents?

Rest assured that the result will be reported accurately as possible.

Thank you and God Bless!

PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 14

Sincerely yours,

Lasuden, Hyland Ekid, Anesley Wagner, Marjorie

Morales, Jerry Tacay, Janet

Noted:

Janet T. Gawidan
Research Teacher

Approved by:

Leonardo T. Zambrano
Assistant Secondary School Principal II
APPENDIX B
Dear Fellow Students,

We are students from Grade-12 Arts and Design strand who are conducting a research entitled “The
Perceptions of Grade-12 students of Baguio City National High School-Senior High School toward Nude
Paintings”. This is a requirement for the subject Inquiries, Investigation and Immersion. In addition, the
researchers aim to find your (Grade-12 students) perceptions regarding nude paintings which can be used as
a basis in organizing or that can address the issue. Thus, your honest and sincere responses to the
questionnaire are very important.

Rest assured that all data gathered will be treated with utmost confidentiality, and your anonymity will be
strictly observed.

Thank you and God Bless!

Name (Optional):_______________________
Section _______________________________

Put a check on the box which corresponds to your answer.

4-Strongly Agree 3-Agree 2-Disagree 1-Strongly Disagree

1. What are your perceptions toward nude paintings?

4 3 2 1
A. Nude paintings are inappropriate that should not be considered as an art.
B. It is a form of art that should be respected.
C. It contains malicious content that should not be revealed.
D. It represents a specific message from the artist wherein you need to digest the
message in order to understand the painting.
E. It makes me feel disgusted about the human body portrayed on the painting.
F. It expresses one’s feelings, emotions, and thoughts through the nude body
painted.
G. Implies negative thoughts toward the viewer’s perception.
H. Nude painting are not considered as pornography since painting is an art.
I. Nude paintings are wonder-striking.
PERCEPTIONS TOWARD NUDE PAINTINGS 15

J. Nude paintings are only for mature viewers since the young audience does
not know something about nude paintings yet.

2. How do you feel about nude paintings? (Provide your answer in a single statement/sentence)
______________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Put a check on the box which corresponds to your answer.

3. How does nude paintings affect your mindset?
YES NO
A. Does nude paintings encourage you to be aroused?
B. Do you consider nude paintings as a form of malicious act by specifically
looking at certain parts of the human body?
C. Do you consider nude paintings as pornography since it has no different in the
forms?
D. Nude paintings causes a person to visit porn sites on the internet.
E. Is there any instances that nude paintings affect you in a negative way?

APPENDIX C

COOL WARM
-It is a form of art that represent a specific message from the artist that
should be understand.
-It’s an art where I can feel the emotions through the facial expression
of the nude art.
-Expresses feelings and emotions. Freedom of
-It’s an expression of one’s mind. Expression
-It portrays the body of human where artists are able to freely express
themselves.
-I feel happy because it shows a message and content to inspire us.
-Whenever I see nude paintings, I feel free and not insecure.
-It’s a nature from the human being because it showcases the wonder
of human body.
-It’s a form of art that should be respected.
-It’s an art and not really a serious matter (malicious).
-It is not seen with malicious content.
-It must be respected and taken open-mindedly. Appreciation
-It’s a form of art but needs to interpreted with maturity and open-
minded.
-Art knows no boundaries, it cannot be put into limit because of one’s
imagination, thus nude painting should be respected.
-It shows the beauty of God’s Creation.
-I feel awkward when I see nude paintings.
-It makes me embarrass and don’t have respect for ourselves. Negativity
-I don’t feel anything.