Essay Sample on Pornography in the Works of Art

The factor that led to widespread pornography is the fact that writers and artists during the Renaissance period endeavored to reproduce tales that were pornographic such as the one where a young man had sex with the statue of Venus located in Cnidos. Writers recounted this act while labeling it as leaving traces of lust behind. Another example is when Giloramo, an artist, used to recount an incident when a woman tried to kiss a statue with an erect penis. Tales that involve explicit content are more likely to create sexual arousal among readers. Several politicians were convicted in 1630 because they were alleged to have copulated with a statue of Christ.
The production of erotic sculpture was another factor that intensified pornography during the Renaissance period. Benartz talks of a Statue of Venus, created by Lyssipos, and was placed in the city. The sculpture was admired by Renaissance artists as they were attracted to the creativity of the craftsmanship involved. However, the sculpture is made of a nude woman whose hands have been cut off. Her eyes face to the left while her body faces the front with her two breasts visible to the audience.

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A work of art by Agostino Carracci A Satyr Approaching a Sleeping Nymph(1590) shows a naked woman (nymph) lying while a black man (a satyr) approaches her while seemingly tiptoeing. The satyr seems like he wants to rape the woman, and the fact that he is painted black makes him like a criminal. The fact that the image displays explicit content I impose a negative influence on the reader. On seeing such an image, a reader will have the impression that forcing sex on others is right. Moreover, such pornographic art is likely to encourage violence in sexual matters and promote oppression against women. When such artworks are allowed to spread all over, they may end up influencing a large population and, consequently, lead to spread of pornography. Art that is made of mindless physicality is more likely to justify rape because art mirrors culture within a society. Pornography can be a symbol of violence and female oppression. Therefore, if art depicts sex as relevant, society will view it in a similar dimension.

In as much as society encourages the classification of pornography as obscene and illegal, the fact that it is presented within an artistic context is likely to make it reach an acceptance level in the world of arts. As more artists strive to incorporate into their work of arts, they elevate it by giving it a spiritual depth. People fail to understand that pornography is not real and does not reflect real love. Most people who are exposed to pornography rarely give genuine love as they tend to have unrealistic expectations of their partner's sexual performance.

Bibliography

Dixon, Laurinda S. "Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights Triptych: Science and salvation." The Art Bulletin 63, no. 1 (1981): 132-276.

Gregory, Sharon. "Michelangelo, St Bartholomew, and northern Italy." Renaissance Studies 32, no. 5 (2018):

Hunt, Lynn, ed. The Invention of Pornography, 1500-1800: Obscenity and the Origins of Modernity. MIT Press, 1993.

Long, Jane C. "Botticelli's Birth of Venus as wedding painting." Aurora, The Journal of the History of Art 9 (2008): 1-28.

Noble, Bonnie. Lucas Cranach the Elder: Art and devotion of the German reformation. University Press of America, 2009.