Some of the most notable contemporary artworks can be described erotic art. Nude male and female figures, ecstasy, even sexual intercourse are regularly found in paintings, images and prints as part of museum collections. By depicting the beauty of humans’ bodies, including most intimate parts of it, as well as through detailed representations of humans’ relationships; artists depict new, provocative and beautiful secrets, writing page after page of history...
There are no taboos here. It can be unpleasant at first sight, yet sensual and beautiful on the other. It’s not pornography; art of nudity is art just as other forms of representation of the human figure or love relations. Since 2014, Widewalls regularly writes articles about some of the most notable and new examples of eroticism within contemporary art and gallery world. Amazing photographers break taboos by perfectly depicting young men, women and other gender in moments of sexual excitement and ecstasy. Sometimes, it’s about painters who create wonderful pieces inviting the viewer to participate in the most intimate moments a human can have by looking at their paintings. And, sometimes it is about a gallery space, aspiring to create a home for something different.
The art of nudity isn’t new and young discipline in the field. Many museum collections hold some notable old masters’ works, depicting young bodies in the images of love making. Those recent examples of eroticism in art only confirm that love in all its forms still captivates the work of artists, no matter of the media they chose to work in be that paintings, photographs, prints or other.
It is also about naked humans in different situations. Artist brings out the intriguing images of his notion of love and lust in his preferred media. A viewer may feel uncomfortable for a moment – many people feel ashamed if they see women’s breast, or genitalia in a work of art. One of the most important contributions of erotic artists (apart from creating amazing art images), is the fact that they help in deconstructing taboos and restrictive moral norms in their paintings, prints and mixed media work. They create a home for a discussion on sex. Even if a piece of erotic art touches taboo themes, such as fetishism or S&M, it’s also part of humans’ nature, and cannot be ruled out from erotic art, as an excuse that is pornography. No, it’s not pornography; it is an important part of contemporary art, and viewers are left to enjoy and contemplate by observing some masterpieces of the art of nude. It is the celebration of sex and sexual (on Widewalls since 2014)...
Many artists have understood sex, nudity or the human body as a way to express a state of mind. One of the brightest early examples is surely Schiele. Self portraits by Schiele bring such an intense message. Egon Schiele used raw sexuality in order to express himself in an extraordinary way.
Provoke! was established as a regular Magazine page in 2014.
Hokusai's The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife is a controversial piece that provoked many interpretations. We explore its history and contemporary relevance.
A form of Japanese erotic art developed alongside ukyio-e phenomenon, shunga flourished between the 17th and 19th centuries during the Edo period.
With this list, we are revisiting the status of male nude art with the selection of nine works by some of the leading painters in Western art history.
Kohei Yoshiyuki's The Park not only uncovers the hidden sexual exploits of their subjects, but it also serves as a chronicle of a Japan we rarely see.
Pornhub brings a fresh view of the old masters' nudes we all know and love, with its Pornhub Classic Nudes interactive audio and video guide.
Currently on display at Bortolami Gallery is an exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Patrick Angus focused on gay experiences in 1980s New York.
Juliana Notari’s vulva sculpture in Brazil, which questions the "problematization of gender", has sparked anger among the country’s far-right.
The exhibition at CHAUSSEE 36 in Berlin explores the notion of eroticism in contemporary photography through the works of established artists.
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