Mom defends 15-year-old artist son against prudish aunt denouncing his anatomical drawings that her kids found snooping in his room: 'They're just realistic bodies being drawn respectfully'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Aug 23, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

It is often said that art imitates life, and if that really is the case then it's no wonder that there is so much art that involves people without their clothes on. It's pretty much an expected part of becoming a classically trained artist that you should study anatomy and life drawing, as it is one of the most common challenges when it comes to technical skills.

This is something that apparently bypassed one self-righteous woman when her children snuck into her teenage nephew's room and found his life drawing practice. When the kids showed the adults, she insisted to his mom that what he was doing was wrong. Mom disagreed and came to the defense of her child, who is a budding artist. It seems like this aunt could do with a visit to a couple of art galleries to realize that this kind of thing is no big deal.

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    Cheezburger Image 10393419008
    via Gianandrea Villa

    Photo does not represent real subject in the story

  • 02
    AITAH for not punishing my son for his drawings?
    via AITAHdrawings
  • 03
    I (40M) have a son (15M) who loves to draw. He's very good at it and spends hours every day practicing. He has dozens of full sketchbooks in his room.
    via AITAHdrawings
  • 04
    Yesterday we had some family over for dinner, and my sister's kids (8F and 10M) snuck into his room and looked through his sketchbooks. They came back holding one of them- it was full of drawings of people either naked or in their underwear, which the kids found very funny. I didn't know he drew them (he's very critical of his own art and only shows me drawings he's very proud of, and these were clearly practices) but I wasn't bothered by the contents. They obviously weren't sexual, they include
    via AITAHdrawings
  • 05
    My sister, however, was very upset. She was mad I let my son draw and suggested he drew these people because he was attracted to them (which was silly, because he's gay, and the majority of the drawings were of women. The guys he did draw weren't what I imagine a 15 year old boy would be attracted to). She was also upset that her kids were exposed to which I shut down pretty quick because they shouldn't have been snooping anyways.
    via AITAHdrawings
  • 06
    My sister is saying I'm ruining my son by letting him look at naked people. My dad agrees that the kids shouldn't have been in his room, but thinks he shouldn't be looking at that kind of stuff and says I should punish him for drawing it.
    via AITAHdrawings
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    I just don't see the big deal and think it's fine for my son to look at naked people, especially considering they're just realistic bodies being drawn respectfully. I don't know much about art but if my son says it helps him improve I believe him. My mom is entirely on my side. AITAH?
    via AITAHdrawings
  • 08
    TraceyWoo419 Ahahaha get her one of those Michelangelo's David aprons or dishtowels or whatever for Christmas
    via TraceyWoo419
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    Caspian4136 ΝΤΑ My oldest is in art school and on her very first day of school, they had draw anatomy, by drawing draw/paint so that came later for her. She's at one of the top art schools in Canada btw. I models for them to sketch. That's how artists learn how to bodies. Clothes is harder to my lol Glad you shut that down and pointed out that her kids were snooping where they shouldn't be in the first place. Also glad you're so supportive of your artistic son, keep up the good work :)
    via Caspian4136
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    amyloulie NTA. Life drawing is a fine art and he seems to be enjoying it. Punishing him for something innocent would dampen his creativity. it would be different, but he is If he'd drawn people drawing the human form in its most natural way.
    via amyloulie
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    coconutsoups NTA, but your sister is. Learning to draw human bodies is an important part of developing an artist's skill. Life drawing classes are common, where a model will pose for artists to sketch them. and Your son isn't doing anything that's out of line. Your sister is immediately making the connotation that she's way overreacting.
    via coconutsoups
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    I attended my first life drawing class at 17 (with parental permission) and it was the first of many that I really enjoyed. I have sketched men and women. When you're drawing a person, you are looking at the shapes, the angles, the shadows and highlights. You're not looking at it from a sexual perspective at all. It's not impossible that your son could have some sexual interest in some of the figures he draws, I mean, he is a teenage boy after all - but from your description of the sketches the
    via coconutsoups
  • 13
    Odd-Calligrapher9660 NTA. Your sister is taking crazy pills. AND she shouldn't be invading his privacy by going through his sketchbooks. Drawing naked people is what every boy everywhere has done at least once. It's not and as long as it is not an obsession, there is nothing wrong with it. Searching through people's stuff without their permission is very wrong however. I would be having a word with her on that.
    via Odd-Calligrapher9660
  • 14
    GardenGood2Grow NTA- punish your sister's children for invading your son's privacy and your sister for not supervising them.
    via GardenGood2Grow
  • 15
    Beautiful-Report58 I hope your sister never walks into a museum. Her eyes will burst into flames! NTA
    via Beautiful-Report58
  • 16
    sharpieslinger The Sistine Chapel alone would give her the vapors!
    via sharpieslinger
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    CeeCeeHasAProblem Sweetheart, my husband was in this situation as a teenager. Not only did his parents completely overreact, their subsequent behavior broke his heart and haunts him into his 40s. Stick to your guns and THANK YOU SO MUCH. Edit: gah, NTA. Sorry.
    via CeeCeeHasAProblem
  • 18
    Annual_Leading_7846 NTA Little kids need to NOT SNOOP. They could find bank checks, balance sheets, tax forms, all kinds of things you don't need spread around. I copied the body forms from superhero comic books. Lots of muscle and anatomy just the costume color applied or most of them were basically underwear at the most.
    via Annual_Leading_7846
  • 19
    Liza6519 Oh, lord. My husband is a painter and my boys grew up around all They're much more accepting of all people because kinds of of it.
    via Liza6519
  • 20
    RJack151 NTA. Tell your sister that until she teaches her kids how to behave when in someone else's home, she has no room to talk about your son and what he does in your home.
    via RJack151

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art family anatomy aita drawing teenager parenting aunt argument reddit thread Reddit mom cousins son
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