Nude vs. Naked

Nude art is welcome in Lexington, Kentucky, even though naked people are a problem. So what is the difference?

Our good friend Webster, of the College Dictionary, doesn't differentiate much between naked and nude -- they both mean "unclothed" -- except "exposed" and "destitute" are tacked on to nakedness. But on the very first page of Kenneth Clark's 1956 book The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form, he wrote that the "elaborate generosity" of the English language makes it clear there's a gap between nude and naked: "To be naked is to be deprived of our clothes, and the word implies some of the embarrassment most of us feel in that condition. The word nude, on the other hand, carries, in educated usage, no uncomfortable overtone." He goes on to say that nude is associated with balance, prosperity and confidence. No such luck for naked, which is merely "huddled and defenseless." The topic of nakedness versus nudity comes up every time an arts organization in Lexington sheds some clothes, but most arts groups say they get few complaints, if any.

The Nude International 2007 show opens on January 13 and runs through March 4.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked