Today I read an article my friend, S.B. Kosinski, posted on Instagram about a woman asking if artists have the right to draw people without their consent on the subway. The article was featured in The New York Times Magazine. Their ethicist, Chuck Klosterman, reviews this question:
When I first read this, I couldn't help but laugh at how petty and strange her complaint was. It was utterly ridiculous! Being an artist myself that draws people on the train quite often, I can say that my actions are of pure intent to practice and sharpen my observational skills, not to judge the person.
I find it strange why she would feel so uncomfortable for someone to draw her, that she feels the need to deem the practice unacceptable and goes as far as saying that her rights have been violated. Perhaps she has some sort of lack of self-esteem or some personal body image issues.
Whatever her reasons, I'm glad Chuck Klosterman took the time to answer her question. He basically says that a drawing of you is merely an artist's construction of what they believe you look like, and that if you are in public, people are allowed to look at you.
There are no rules or laws prohibiting people from looking at each other. Except, maybe, the unspoken rules of the street in a rougher neighborhood where looking at someone is a direct threat, or a silent agreement that you have "a problem."
Anyway, you should read the New York Times Magazine article, and let me know your opinion on the matter.
" I was sitting next to someone on the subway who was surreptitiously sketching portraits of fellow commuters. I once spotted someone opposite me doing this, and actually changed cars when I suspected he was eyeing me as a subject. Being present in a public space does not seem akin to offering permission to record your likeness without consent, despite the intended (lack of) audience or purpose of the final piece. Unlike being captured in a tourist’s random photograph, this act seems to involve a level of scrutiny, focus and invasiveness that makes me uncomfortable. Is it ethical to draw someone without his or her permission or knowledge? CHRISTIANA MAVROMATIS, BROOKLYN"
When I first read this, I couldn't help but laugh at how petty and strange her complaint was. It was utterly ridiculous! Being an artist myself that draws people on the train quite often, I can say that my actions are of pure intent to practice and sharpen my observational skills, not to judge the person.
I find it strange why she would feel so uncomfortable for someone to draw her, that she feels the need to deem the practice unacceptable and goes as far as saying that her rights have been violated. Perhaps she has some sort of lack of self-esteem or some personal body image issues.
Whatever her reasons, I'm glad Chuck Klosterman took the time to answer her question. He basically says that a drawing of you is merely an artist's construction of what they believe you look like, and that if you are in public, people are allowed to look at you.
There are no rules or laws prohibiting people from looking at each other. Except, maybe, the unspoken rules of the street in a rougher neighborhood where looking at someone is a direct threat, or a silent agreement that you have "a problem."
Anyway, you should read the New York Times Magazine article, and let me know your opinion on the matter.
