Sex sells. Sex drives people forward, reminds them they are made of flesh and blood, awakens desire, the feeling of being alive. To give a possible explanation of when does erotic art turn into porn, and when does it stay in the domain of creativity, we must go back to the semantic origins. So, the first conclusion in making a difference between the two terms is — the first one is inherently related to emotional state, while the second one refers to pictures of prostitutes. Erotic art has been around since man attempted to make his first written marks on a cave wall. In ancient times it was often a part of religious celebration or cult. Remembering Pompeian heritage, we not only find interesting graffiti, but a very important cult of phallus related to fertility and prosperity, as well as a number of overtly pornographic wall paintings. It might look strange or quirky today, but people actually used to hang sculptures of erect penises above their doors hoping it would bring them luck. Not only Romans had these type of affinities.
Semantics of Erotica
What Is the Fine Line Between Erotic Art and Porn?
For an optimal Artfinder experience, please update your browser to version IE 11 or greater. Alternatively, download the latest version of Chrome , Firefox or Opera. Art Glossary. Take Jeff Koons. This drawing is one of a series, which portrays a vulture tearing at his body, depicting his feeling of imprisonment due to the physical lust he felt for a heterosexual man. Sexuality and what goes on behind closed doors were not discussed in the public sphere, especially homosexuality.
Erotic art today
People have been creating works of art since ancient times as evidenced by the many artifacts uncovered in ruins of ancient civilizations. The way that they were presented has shown modern man how the skills of the artists were developed and how art evolved through the years. The subjects of art can be diverse. One very controversial subject in art is nudity. The human body has been one of the main subjects for artists. In ancient times, especially in Greek art, the nude male human body was the most common subject. Today, one of the first subjects that artists paint is the nude female body. Nudity has been a favorite subject in paintings, sculptures, and photography.
December 10, by mattfradd. Some have gone so far as to argue that it may not be possible to portray the naked body in art without offending its dignity. In this post I want to offer the beginning of an answer and then ask you to help me flesh out pun intended the answer. We may begin by asking, what is the intention of the pornographer? To arouse wonder and awe at the beauty and dignity of the human person? Simply put, it seems to me, the intention of the pornographer is is to portray a woman usually in such a way in order to arouse lust in the viewer. What about the artist? Michelangelo, say? Was is his intent?
