Portal:Erotica and pornography

Welcome to the Erotica and pornography Portal

Before the Deluge by Cornelis van Haarlem, 1615

Introduction

P:XXX

Erotica is art, literature or photography that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use any artistic form to depict erotic content, including painting, sculpture, drama, film or music. Erotic literature and erotic photography have become genres in their own right. Erotica also exists in a number of subgenres including gay, lesbian, women's, monster, tentacle erotica and bondage erotica.

The term erotica is derived from the feminine form of the ancient Greek adjective: ἐρωτικός (erōtikós), from ἔρως (érōs)—words used to indicate lust, and sexual love. (Full article...)

Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings, some forty millennia ago, to modern-day virtual reality presentations. A general distinction of adults-only sexual content is made, classifying it as pornography or erotica.

The oldest artifacts considered pornographic were discovered in Germany in 2008 and are dated to be at least 35,000 years old. Human enchantment with sexual imagery representations has been a constant throughout history. However, the reception of such imagery varied according to the historical, cultural, and national contexts. The Indian Sanskrit text Kama Sutra (3rd century CE) contained prose, poetry, and illustrations regarding sexual behavior, and the book was celebrated; while the British English text Fanny Hill (1748), considered "the first original English prose pornography," has been one of the most prosecuted and banned books. In the late 19th century, a film by Thomas Edison that depicted a kiss was denounced as obscene in the United States, whereas Eugène Pirou's 1896 film Bedtime for the Bride was received very favorably in France. Starting from the mid-twentieth century on, societal attitudes towards sexuality became lenient in the Western world where legal definitions of obscenity were made limited. In 1969, Blue Movie by Andy Warhol became the first film to depict unsimulated sex that received a wide theatrical release in the United States. This was followed by the "Golden Age of Porn" (1969–1984). The introduction of home video and the World Wide Web in the late 20th century led to global growth in the pornography business. Beginning in the 21st century, greater access to the Internet and affordable smartphones made pornography more mainstream. (Full article...)

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Selected article

Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of eros (passionate, romantic or sexual relationships) intended to arouse similar feelings in readers. This contrasts erotica, which focuses more specifically on sexual feelings. Other common elements are satire and social criticism. Much erotic literature features erotic art, illustrating the text.

Although cultural disapproval of erotic literature has always existed, its circulation was not seen as a major problem before the invention of printing, as the costs of producing individual manuscripts limited distribution to a very small group of wealthy and literate readers. The invention of printing, in the 15th century, brought with it both a greater market and increasing restrictions, including censorship and legal restraints on publication on the grounds of obscenity. Because of this, much of the production of this type of material became clandestine. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected work of erotic literature

Sex is a 1992 coffee table book written by American singer Madonna, with photography by Steven Meisel Studio and Fabien Baron. It was edited by Glenn O'Brien and published by Warner Books, Maverick and Callaway. The book features adult content including softcore pornography and simulations of sexual acts including sadomasochism.

Madonna developed Sex after Judith Regan of Simon & Schuster publishers suggested a book of erotic photographs. She wrote it as a character named "Mistress Dita", inspired by 1930s film actress Dita Parlo. It was influenced by punk rock and fashion figures including Guy Bourdin, Helmut Newton and Robert Mapplethorpe. The photos were shot in early 1992 in New York City and Miami, in locations including hotels, burlesque theaters, and city streets. The book includes cameos by actress Isabella Rossellini, rappers Big Daddy Kane and Vanilla Ice, model Naomi Campbell, gay porn star Joey Stefano, actor Udo Kier, and socialite Princess Tatiana von Fürstenberg. The cover is made of aluminium, spiral bound and wrapped in a Mylar sheet.

Madonna's publishers were apprehensive about the release and the book's commercial potential. It was released on October 21, 1992, the day after Madonna's fifth studio album Erotica. A CD single was also packaged with the book which contained the song "Erotic", a song similar in composition to her similarly named single "Erotica". It sold over 150,000 copies on its first day in the United States, and topped the New York Times Best Seller list for three weeks. In a matter of days, Sex went on to sell more than 1.5 million copies worldwide and remains the best and fastest-selling coffee table book. It also remains as one of the most in-demand out-of-print publications of all time. (Full article...)

List of selected works
The Autobiography of a Flea Fifty Shades of Grey Story of the Eye Story of O Fanny Hill Jin Ping Mei Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle Lady Chatterley's Lover The Songs of Bilitis The 120 Days of Sodom Kama Sutra Lolita Tropic of Cancer (novel) Josephine Mutzenbacher Tijuana bible Emmanuelle (novel)

Slideshow of selected contemporary images

Image 1American pornographic actor Ron Jeremy. One of top Porn Stars of All Time.
Image 2The COLT Studio Group, San Francisco
Image 3Playmate of the_Year Corinna Harney
Image 4Figure 12 in Zillmann, Dolf: "Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography", included in the Report of the Surgeon General's Workshop on Pornography and Public Health, United States Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General, August 4, 1986
Image 5Pornographic DVDs, Japan, "Kawaii" section
Image 6Raylene
Image 7Joanna Jet - transsexual pornographic actress and director
Image 8Hugh Hefner with Karissa Shannon, Dasha Astafieva, and Kristina Shannon
Image 9Michele_Merkin - Glamour photography
Image 10Bondage pornography, showing classic "wrist to ankle" rope hogtie. Other bondage methods depicted are breast bondage, elbow bondage, head to ankle tie, knees tied, and a crotch rope. Model is also wearing a muzzle gag.
Image 11Rebeca Linares at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2009
Image 12Tila Tequila
Image 13Carmen Luvana, Adult Entertainment Expo 2008
Image 14Swedish/Tanzanian Playmate of the Year Ida Ljungqvist
Image 15Shy Love at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2012
Image 16Pierre Woodman filming in Australia
Image 17Michael Lucas, Nonie, Rafael Alencar, David Shankbone, and Ernesta Alamirano in Fire Island Pines
Image 18Louise Glover
Image 19Xaviera Hollander, author and former Sex worker
Image 20Lupe Fuentes
Image 21Jenna Jameson
Image 22Example of Erotic photography
Image 23Daisy Marie posing with a fan at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2008
Image 24Pornographic actress and cosplayer Tanya Tate as She-Ra
Image 25Hentai style of art, originally from Japan
Image 26Playmate of the Year and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals spokesperson Pamela Anderson, signing DVDs at the USS Halsey
Image 27Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood
Image 28Dean Flynn and Chi Chi LaRue
Image 29Playmate of the Year Claire Sinclair
Image 30Penthouse Pet Dani Daniels, wearing Penthouse key necklace
Image 31Silvia Saint, wearing a Bomis tee-shirt (a site previously run by Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia).
Image 32Playboy Playmate Alison Waite
Image 33Transsexual pornographic actress Erica Andrews
Image 34Katsuni - French pornographic actress.
Image 35Karen McDougal
Image 36Jessie Andrews
Image 37Pornographic actor and director Miles Long (submitted by self)
Image 38Cindy Margolis

Image 38Cindy Margolis
Image 39Audrey Hollander - American porn star
Image 40Hentai Manga, Japan
Image 41Sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in Haugesund harbour, Norway
Image 42Lisa Ann
Image 43Rocco Siffredi
Image 44Erotic actress and public health advocate Sharon Mitchell.
Image 45Dana DeArmond
Image 46Pornographic film set. Pictured from left to right: Cali Chase, Mikey Butders, and a photographer identified as "Nicole."
Image 47Valentina Nappi at the AVN Awards Show, Las Vegas, Nevada on 21 January 2017
Image 48Sean Michaels - pornographic actor.
Image 49A Fluffer hands gay porn performers Jake Starr (seated) and Erik Grant (lying) items needed for a scene in the 2008 Lucas Entertainment production Pounding the Pavement.
Image 50

Slideshow of selected historical images

Image 1Illustration from La Grande Danse macabre des vifs, Martin van Maële (1905)
Image 2Traditional pederastic courtship scene on an Athenian black-figure amphora from the 5th century B.C.
Image 3Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho, India, taken by User:Ggia
Image 4Katsushika Hokusai, "The Adonis Plant (Fukujusô)" Woodblock, ca. 1815, Japan Shunga
Image 5Johann Nepomuk Geiger, watercolor, 1840
Image 6Kama Sutra illustration (19th century?)
Image 7
Image 8Two Lovers, by Reza Abbasi.
Image 9Kama Sutra illustration (19th century?)
Image 10Kama Sutra illustration (19th century?)
Image 11Nineteenth century nude photograph.
Image 12Classical Greek Bas Relief showing "Cowgirl" position
Image 13A Mercury Priapus figure from Pompeii, ancient Rome
Image 14Erotic art, 18th century India
Image 15Indian Princess, by Richard Borrmeister [de] (1888?)
Image 16Hokusai, Untitled (Plate No. 4) From the series Picture Book Patterns of Couples (Ehon tsui no hinagata), c. 1812
Image 17Erotic engraving supposedly after Agostino Carracci (1557–1602)
Image 18Hokusai, Untamed Lion, From the series Picture Book Patterns of Couples (Ehon tsui no hinagata), c. 1812
Image 19Silenus and maenad. Tondo of an Attic red-figure kylix, ca. 480 BC. From Vulci, ancient Greece
Image 20Erotic detail from the Vishwanath temple at the Khajuraho Group of Monuments
Image 21Erotic scene. Rim of an Attic red-figure kylix, c. 510 BC., ancient Greece
Image 22The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife, an erotic woodcut made circa 1820 by Hokusai.
Image 23Illustration from Juliette by the Marquis de Sade.
Image 24Hadrian engaging in anal sex with Antinous in Egypt, portrayed by Édouard-Henri Avril.
Image 25The Venus of Willendorf prehistoric sculpture
Image 26Roman oil lamp portraying intercourse
Image 27Miniature from 15th century Persian book
Image 28Shunga, Japan (ca 1750)
Image 29Cunnilingus portrayed at Pompeii - Source: John R. Clarke: Ars Erotica. Darmstadt: Primus 2009
Image 30Nights of Horror, panel by Joe Shuster (public domain)
Image 31Erotic art, India, 18th century

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