Sexuality and Eroticism in Art

Following Ben’s life drawing performance on Valentines Day, I want to take a moment to explore sexuality and eroticism in art, its experimental and seductive power and how it transcends mere representation. This is because throughout history, sexuality and eroticism have been recurring themes in art, serving as a powerful tool to express human emotions and desires. From the ancient Greek sculptures to the Renaissance paintings and contemporary photography, artists have explored and depicted human sexuality in various forms and styles. As such, in this blog, I will explore the role of sexuality and eroticism in art, its evolution over time, and its impact on society.

The Origins of Eroticism in Art 

In the history of Western art, sexuality and eroticism have gone through long durations of being hidden, ignored, condemned, or objectified by the wider civilisation of the time. Due to this, for centuries, one had to look to mythological or even religious works for representations of the nude body. This is particularly evident in the most famous representation of the female nude body in Western art, the Venus pudica, who, in her exposed, fearful stance, represents a history of objectification of women. The depictions of Venus, goddess of love and beauty, in Ancient Rome, display her with the idealised female body, in a perpetual state of vulnerability and desirability, making her a confused package of womanhood and sexual meekness.

The Venus by Botticelli

Adam & Eve by JAN GOSSAERT

By making the pubic area the focal point of the pose, Venus is reduced to her anatomy, and thus, represents concepts of women’s objectification in Western art. In contrast portrayals of Adam and Eve in Christianity, depict the nude body as something to be condemned, a symbolic representation of sin in paradise. As such, it is only relatively recently that eroticism and sexuality in art has become truly transgressive in nature. Freed from the shackles of myth, religion, and academia, it gives way to the fury of desire.

 Despite these views, historically there have always been pockets of eroticism in art, that dared to represent human sexuality, from the earliest civilizations. Most notably, the ancient Greek and Roman civilisations created erotic art and literature that celebrated the beauty of the human form and sexual desire. This is most clearly represented in the infamous frescoes of doomed Pompeii, where oversized erections and sex acts are depicted freely and beautifully by ancient artists. In addition, the Kama Sutra, an ancient Indian text, gives us another example of erotic literature that explored human sexuality and sensuality unreservedly.

 Although sexuality would take hold in Europe much later, with the rise of the libertines, the nude body was a recurring dialogue in Renaissance art. The common representation of the nude body in paintings and sculptures during this period, offered artists many potential positive opportunities to explore the human body and sexuality in a more open and natural way, that stood in stark contrast to the views of the wider society of the Middle Ages. Driven by the Christian Church, the nude body was frowned upon, and artists were prohibited from depicting nudity, sexuality, or eroticism in art.

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

The Modern Era and Sexual Liberation

In the 20th century, the sexual revolution and the feminist movement challenged traditional notions of sexuality and gender roles, offering a turning point for eroticism in art. Although the threat of censorship still loomed, artists began to explore sexuality and eroticism in new ways, and the subject matter became more explicit and provocative. One of the most famous examples of erotic art in the modern era is Gustav Klimt's painting, "The Kiss." This iconic work depicts a couple embracing in a passionate kiss, their bodies entwined in a sensual and erotic embrace. Despite coining an iconic style, Klimt’s brazen subject matter wasn’t easily received. Indeed, his three-part Vienna ceiling series, which as commissioned by the university was initially condemned as supposed pornography. It was following this that Klimt received heavy criticism for his supposed perverted approach to art. Klimt’s focus on intimacy, blended tenderness with erotic desire, that established a new take on romanticism in art and helped to alter societies perceptions on sexual liberation and human pleasure.

Photo: Robert Mapplethorpe

Looking also at the work of the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who explored sexuality, fetishism, and BDSM in his photographs, his many works gained notoriety for their sexually explicit images, that led to a political clash over the legal meaning of art and obscenity. As art has continued to develop, it has become an expression of the visceral, vital, subconscious power that we call desire, of which sexuality is merely one of many manifestations. For contemporary artists ideas of desire and intimacy have become an essential and inescapable topic from which to explore and challenge traditional notions of sexuality and eroticism. Coinciding with the emergence of the internet and social media which enables the easy sharing of work to reach a wider audience. Contemporary artists continue to explore the boundaries of what is considered acceptable, or taboo, and blur the boundaries between what is considered obscene and art.

The Impact of Sexuality and Eroticism in Art

Sexuality and eroticism in art have always been controversial subjects, and artists who have explored these themes have often faced criticism and censorship. However, art has the power to challenge social norms and provoke thought and discussion, and sexuality and eroticism have been used as a means of expressing human emotion and desire. Erotic art has also played a significant role in human sexuality, with many people finding it a source of pleasure and arousal. In this way, sexuality and eroticism in art have the potential to create a dialogue between the artist, the artwork, and the viewer.

Conclusion 

Sexuality and eroticism have been integral themes in art throughout history, serving as a means of expressing human emotion and desire. While it has often been a controversial subject, the representation of human sexuality in art has the potential to challenge social norms and provoke thought and discussion. As society continues to evolve and challenge traditional notions of sexuality and gender, the role of sexuality and eroticism in art is likely to continue to evolve as well.

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Nichola

A guide to tools for observational measuring

Drawing from the nude figure offers its own challenges, including our ability to depict accurate proportions of the human body. To improve your ability to draw a believable likeness to any subject, no matter who it is, you will need to improve your understanding of proportions as they appear on the subject.

In drawing, our most valuable tool for measuring is our eyes. To become better at making intuitive visual judgements, you will need to learn to draw without relying too much on other visual measuring tools. However, when the need arises there are a range of measuring tools that can help you to either see your subject afresh or to aid your objective looking; assisting you in developing a robust approach to life drawing, so that you become familiar with all parts of the body in proportion and in the right place relative to each other.  

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New to life-drawing? Read this first

Drawing is not an innate ability: like all skills it is developed through practice.

A primary concern of many first-timers to figure drawing is their competence in drawing the nude body. Art, just like when learning any other skills forces us to go through various stages of skill progression. Our life drawing classes are a constant reminder of this. Each artist brings with them different skills, strengths and desires, each level suitable for the stage of learning that they are in at that moment. It is important to remember that drawing is a visual language, and rooted in your own observations of the figure, so learning the first lessons for anyone new to our life drawing class, is learning to observe well. If your aim is to draw well, you must first learn how to look. In order to see the model as they are, rather than as you imagine them to be. You will need to strip away your ingrained preconceptions of what the human body should look like, and instead learn to simply see what is in front of you.

When starting your life drawing journey, it is wise to start by repeating simple exercise, keep to a limited range of drawing materials and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to create finished products. Remember that drawing is developed through practice. Learning to draw is a journey of learning and developing skills through exploration and developing new intentions that you could not have anticipated when you first began. This is the dominant feature of all artist work, as no matter how proficient they are, learning never ends.

Hours not years. Your speed of improvement is relative to the hours that you put in, not the months on years since you first started.

Start simple, repeat what works. When you begin life drawing it is important to find exercises that you enjoy and repeat them again and again. Mini-exercises such as blind contour drawing, drawing with the unorthodox hand and extending the reach of the arm, all present clear boundaries, intended to as warm-ups to a session and to break ‘bad habits’.

Learn to enjoy learning. Enjoy the exercise and the processes for the experience rather than the final outcome. It is interesting the vast majority of those new to drawing aim for their approach to be realistic. However, without developing our ability to learn to see the basic underlying shapes that make up even the most complex subjects, it is difficult to develop our ‘eye’ for the small interrelated shapes that make up the human body. It is a good idea when learning to draw to begin practising very basic shapes; a sphere, cone, cylinder and cube. By practising drawing these basic shapes you will begin to recognise that this is the basis of anything you draw from trees, to people. In much the same way you can use linear drawing exercises such as continuous line drawing, or contour drawing to loosen up and train your eye to view visualise these shapes as you draw.

Find a community. Learning to draw alongside other people is critical for support and inspiration. Our life drawing classes start off with some quick drawing poses to give you a quick overview of the model’s body in that pose. Using linear drawing techniques can allow you to really look at the figure and begin to understand the tiny changes in direction of form and contour. Indeed, many artist utilise this method of drawing to thinking across the whole figure to improve understanding of proportion and perception of the figure, so that they are able to see it more objectively. 

In the next blog, I will talk about different linear drawing techniques and how they can help you to progress your drawing skills.

Nichola.

What does life drawing mean to me?

To me, art is a way of expressing myself when words flounder; my emotions, thoughts, and feelings. With every piece of work I produce, I pour myself into the product to create something unique. Over time, I have learnt that while my own art may not compare to the calibre of the great artist such as Leonardo de Vinci or Monet, I now understand that in comparing my own work to others, I lack the capacity to see the uniqueness of my own art. Indeed, while there will always be flaws within my work, I can learn to work on these and improve my own work so that I can build upon my art skills, but it will never be without flaws.  

Moreover, I believe that art should be available for everyone to enjoy and experience, regardless of your educational background. Art should transcend boundaries, to act as a fantastic equalisation, where anyone can enjoy great works of art and the process of making it. Art should bring people together; to discuss their views, thoughts and even their desires, hopes, dreams and impressions, in open discussion. Additionally, it should allow those who gaze upon it to be transported by the artists ambitions.

I believe drawing from the nude human figure is fundamental to developing artistic skills as an artist to accurately see shape while observing human emotion and gesture. Indeed, drawing from life has underpinned the practice of all serious arts, as it enables the artist to capture the world and body as it really is. Life drawing means studying forms, proportions, perspectives and shading, movement weight, balance and tension. Life drawing has allowed me to observe how the model holds their body; where they are putting weight on some muscles as they balance while positioning other muscles to hold a certain pose and over time you will use these skills in all your art work.

However, I believe the true power of art is its capacity to positively benefit mental health and wellbeing. Engaging in art enabled me to deal with my own mental health and emotional wellbeing as I was not only able to express what I couldn’t with words, but I also felt as though I was now part of a like-mined community. Indeed, art and mental health is being increasingly recognised by mental health charities, the NHS and research as provide therapy and treatment. Being in an art environment I feel like the noise in my head has quietened; I feel safe and not judged; and it helps me to make sense of my feeling; giving me a voice.

Nichola.