Expression Through Art, Visually and Musically

The manner in which one decides to express their art is to their own discretion and hopefully, in conjunction with their talent.  Is it possible to display art in two mediums without the two jumbling the message and leaving the patron confused?  Hmmm.  I was watching a video from a YouTube link this morning by an artist named Timothy Bloom, "Till the End of Time" featuring V. Bozeman.  If one were to just look at the video, they may not be able to listen to the words of the song.  I'm sure it did not break the budget because it was Timothy and V. Bozeman standing on a spinning pedestal naked, singing to each other.  That's it.  It was shot in color and in black in white, a little lighting, some strategic placement of legs and hands and a good camera.  They had to hire a barber because both had short hair cuts and someone to make sure their bodies were oiled.  Although there was no background action, no distracting cars or homes that were rented, no hired video models to take your mind off the fact that the artist may not be as good as they want you to think.  No outlandish costumes or references to designers that don't know that artist exists.  He wanted you to pay attention and that's what I and any other person who watched that video did.  I thought they actually looked like a sculpture on that pedastal.  I was able to look past the nakedness, into the art.  When D'Angelo's famous Untitled (How Does It Feel) video that EVERY woman, and some men, in the world went crazy over.  Why is this man NAKED!!!  What is it about American culture that causes the masses to go crazy when artists are naked in their videos?  As long as it's not vulgar, what's the problem?  I mean yes it is suggestive and there was probably a motive behind being naked.  Many speculate that D'Angelo was enjoying "pleasures' while shooting the video, but who knows, were you there during filming?  They never did show below the waist.  Maybe he was "acting", which a lot of people in videos do.  Do you think every man and woman pairing in videos mean that they are a couple in their real lives?  No.  When Erykah Badu decided she was going to strip down in the middle of the street in Houston, Texas, right where the assassination of President Kennedy took place, did she do so without a motive?  Of course not!  She wanted you to pay attention, maybe some folks paid a little too much attention.  I wonder what folks were more upset with, the fact that she shot this video where President Kennedy was killed or the fact that she was naked when she did it.  I visited the National Gallery of Art this past weekend and if you looked at some 17th century paintings, almost everyone was naked.  If you looked at some sculptures, there naked, voluptuous women and masculine men.  When the museum patrons were walking around, showing their children these great works of art, none of them said, don't look at that because you can see that woman's breast or that man's penis.  It was considered the art of that period.  But opinions seem to sway when we bring that same form of expression to music.  Is it because combining a naked body with a powerful voice which gives those wonderful, sensual inflections, too much for us to handle?  The excitement will spill over and there will be uncontrollable, aroused people walking the streets just waiting to do something filthy!  Ha! I doubt it.  Now I don't think that these artists were crazy, they knew there would be some "shock value" added to them showing their bodies.  They knew it would cause people to pay attention to their music, now whether you got the message or were just interested in seeing them naked is on you, but the point is you paid attention.  I didn't know who this guy was prior to my friend posting it on Facebook, but I do now and by the way he has a really nice voice (so does she).  I know for a fact that when D'Angelo's video first appeared on my television, I took a double take, then sat down to watch the video, in silence.  After I got past the rippling abs, arms, chest and back muscles, I listened to the actual song and they way he sung it, then fell in love with that.  Does visual art and music have the power to arouse feelings and sensors in our brains that make us want to get close to someone, sure!  But we must be able to appreciate what the artist is trying to portray before we dismiss it as something vulgar or without purpose.  When Erykah was on the Monique Show, she stated that the women in her family "appreciate nakedness", meant to me that the act of being naked is not offensive, but it's the actions with the nakedness that can cause the issues.  I'm saying that everyone should now start filming their videos in the buff, some of us should NEVER do that, for that would be offensive.  Which ever side of the coin you reside upon, let it be because of your choice, not because you're judging someone else's.  Keep creating!