Now that I have everyone's attention with my tabloid-style, attention-grabbing headline, please continue reading for some valuable and possibly even thought-provoking information. This article will focus on where nudity and other "Mature Content" can be found on deviantART, specifically throughout the Photography gallery. It will also discuss how you can avoid coming into contact with "Mature Content" deviations if you do not wish to view them. I will primarily be discussing the issue of deviations containing nudity, however a great deal of what I will cover here also applies to the other "Mature Content" areas.

As some deviants are well aware, recently there have been a few significant changes to deviantART site policy. In times past, a deviation containing a depiction of human nudity had strict limitations upon which galleries it could be placed into. With the recent changes to the deviantART Mature Content filtering system, nudity and other content specifically intended for mature viewers can now be placed in many areas throughout dA, as long as the deviation is properly marked by the artist with the Mature Content tag.

Generally what this means is that we all, collectively, might come across nudity or other Mature Content in galleries where we might not expect it. This does not automatically mean we are being faced with a Miscategorization or Policy Violation!

For example: one might not expect to find nudity in the "Emotive Portrait" gallery. However it is perfectly legitimate for an emotive portrait to depict a nude model using his or her body posture and facial expression to portray loneliness, joy, or another emotion. While "Artistic Nude" is the only gallery with the word "nude" directly in its title, under current site standards, photographs containing nudity may be placed in any of the sub-categories within the Photography gallery. The only requirements are that the deviation fit the category it is submitted to, and that it is marked by the artist with the "Mature Content" tag.

This also leads us to the next point, and back to the title I chose for this article. Not every nude is an Artistic Nude! This does not mean that any nude that is not an Artistic Nude is not artistic. It simply relates back to the idea that "Artistic Nude" is a specific gallery for a specific genre of work. In many cases, a photograph containing nudity might be in a style other than Artistic Nude, and more suited to a gallery other than the Artistic Nude gallery. Every gallery under the Photography heading is valid for consideration for where best to place your photograph, whether or not it contains partial or full nudity. So just as with any submission, thought should be given to the best placement for your image, based upon the artistic intent with which you created it.

Whether your model is clothed, nude, or semi-nude, if you created your image with the purpose of conveying an emotion, Emotive Portraits is the right gallery to submit it to. If your photograph was shot at a political protest where the protesters were in the nude, consider submitting to the one of the subcategories of the Photojournalism gallery. If your image is a spontaneous photograph of your significant other looking beautiful as he or she lounges nude on the bed, Spontaneous Portraits is the right choice. (Of course it should go without saying to make sure first that your significant other wants his or her nude beauty posted on deviantART!) I could go on listing examples, but I'm going to give a few visual examples instead. Here are a few examples of excellent placement of photographs containing nudity in galleries other than Artistic Nude:

And by the way, if nudity is something you don't want to be looking at: then I recommend that you skip these examples and scroll to the bottom of the page, where I will review how to activate your "Mature Content" filter!


From Photography-> Abstract and Surreal-> Surreal

The mask suspended in front of the bodypainted model creates a surreal, "not-quite-human" character. The model's full nudity is quite visible, but seems to be effective as an alternative to bringing additional clothing into the photo, which would be an element of distraction from the intended overall effect. A clothed model in this mask might simply appear to be costumed, however the masked, painted nude model conveys an entirely different and more ambiguous effect, quite befitting of the Surreal gallery.

From Photography-> Photojournalism-> People

This photo definitely contains nudity, and is a depiction of a real-life event, rather than a manifestation of an individual's artistic vision. Hence the proper placement under the heading of Photojournalism rather than in the Artistic Nude gallery.

From Photography-> Photojournalism-> Political

Again, a journalistic photograph of a political protest. Human nudity is prominent in the photo, but for political, rather than artistic reasons.

From Photography-> Commercial Photography-> Miscellaneous

Here is an advertising campaign poster utilizing nudity as part of its sales pitch. The intent of the image is commercial, and there is certainly artistic merit in a well-designed advertisement. It's a different type of artistic intent than that found in Artistic Nude, and the Commercial category is a great choice for its placement.

From Photography-> Commercial Photography-> Services

Another use of nudity in a commercial context, as an advertisement for a theatre company.

From Photography-> Humorous

A very cute and funny image - featuring a bare butt. The Mature Content tag is needed, but this isn't an Artistic Nude; it is a humor piece well-placed under Humorous photography.

From Photography-> Horror and Macabre

Creepy (simulated) blood and gore, and a suggestion of a dead woman. Who is nude. Perfect placement in the Horror and Macabre gallery. Side note: Blood and gore is, in itself, another reason for a deviation to require a Mature Content tag, and another class of content that falls under the Mature Content filter.

From Photography-> People and Portraits-> Glamour Portraits

The female models in the first two images are partially clothed while still exposing parts of their bodies requiring a Mature Content tag for nudity. The focus of each image isn't on the portrayal of the nude human figure, but about the sensual appeal of an attractive woman in a revealing outfit. This is what makes it a Glamour Portrait rather than an Artistic Nude. The third image is a similarly sensual portrait of a semi-nude male. And just to be clear, the fourth image is a fully-clothed model still presented in such a manner as to depict sensual appeal, and equally suitable to the Glamour Portraits gallery.

From Photography-> People and Portraits-> Classic Portraits

In my opinion you could equal but not better the "classic" element of this elegant portrait. Her bare breast requires the Mature Content tag, and this image could have been submitted as an Artistic Nude. However there is a more specific category that fits it even more precisely, and this is why it was submitted as a Classic Portrait.

From Photography-> People and Portraits-> Classic Portraits

If dA didn't have a Classic Portraits gallery, both of these photographs would still be fitting submissions to Artistic Nude. But they clearly portray the human body in emulation of classical sculpture, which is a great fit in Classic Portraits.

From Photography-> People and Portraits-> Emotive Portraits

The body posture, facial expression, and atmosphere of each of these two photographs portray clear and resonant emotions. They both include nudity, but the emotional content, not the nudity, is the focus of each image.

From Photography-> People and Portraits-> Spontaneous Portraits

Here are two examples of photographs that look like they were taken on the spur of the moment. In each case, the photographer saw something that caught his/her eye, and his/her camera caught the picture. The first image takes place during a photo shoot. The "finished" images from that shoot may well be Artistic Nude submissions. This particular photo shows the models in their nudity, but is an outtake or behind the scenes photo rather than itself being an Artistic Nude photograph. The second image includes some photographs on the wall that contain nudity. They are not the work of this deviant, not a submission to Artistic Nude, but the nudity still requires the Mature Content tag. The image itself is a spontaneous shot of two people in the room where these nudes are hanging, and Spontaneous Portraits is the perfect place for it.


From Photography-> People and Portraits-> Self-Portraits

Sometimes we just want to show ourselves to the world, with or without clothing on. A self-portrait can be very artistic, and it can also be simply a plain and open view of a person as shown through his or her own eyes. Again, there is a fair amount of crossover possible between some galleries. But it's all about the intent with which you took your picture. Self-portraiture is a uniquely challenging endeavor, which is why it is recognized with its own separate gallery. Whether the person taking the self-portrait was placing him or herself at the center of a carefully planned and conceived artistic vision, or whether he or she just wanted to say to the world, "Hi, this is me!" it all comes back again to selecting the gallery that best fits your deviation. These two photographs are good examples of images where there seems to be no ulterior intent beyond the deviant showing a picture of him/herself, that also happens to be taken by him/herself. They contain nudity and require a Mature Content tag for it, but pure and simple, they are self-portraits.


As a final word to this article, I would like to reiterate that the idea of deviantART is to allow a wide range of artistic expression, while enabling art appreciators to find art that they like and to avoid subject matter that they do not care to view. To that effect, dA has implemented some recent changes to the "Mature Content" filtering system. Nudity is only one of several types of Mature Content that fall under the Mature Content filter. For full details of what constitutes "Mature Content" under dA policy, please go to the site FAQ (link found at very bottom of most dA pages). Enter "Mature Content" as your search term, and all of the relevant entries will be listed for you.

You, as a member of deviantART, have the ability to ensure that you can enjoy browsing all of dA's galleries without unexpectedly stumbling upon nude or other Mature Content images that you do not wish to view. Start on your own profile page. Mouse over the menu at top right. Select the seventh item down, "Edit Settings." Go to the "Browsing" tab, and uncheck the box labeled "Show Deviations with Mature Content." And you're all set. Images which contain nudity or other Mature Content (as defined by site policy) will now appear to you as a blank grey box, just as if you were not a member or not logged in.

I hope this has been a useful guide for deviants uncertain of where to place deviations containing nudity or other Mature Content, as well as for deviants who want to browse dA without encountering this type of subject matter.