We explain what eroticism is, its characteristics and presence in art. Also, how to empower it and differences with pornography.
What is eroticism?
Eroticism it is the ability to awaken in the other the desire and sexual arousal, generally through conducts, images and / or insinuating words, that is, veiled, not explicit. It is a complex concept, often assimilated to sensuality, which generally expresses mischief, provocation and stimulation of the libido, although in many cases it is distinguished from pornography and explicit sexual content.
Eroticism is an entirely cultural factor, different from sexuality itself, and its forms and conditions can vary substantially from one culture to the other.
What in some cultures is considered erotic (that is, capable of awakening the libido) may not be so in some other, as is the case with the issue of women’s hair in Islam and Judaism, religions in which it is required to the woman who covers it with a veil, a scarf or a wig. For the same reason, it is very difficult to universally define what can and cannot be erotic.
The word eroticism comes from the name that the ancient Greeks gave to the deity of passionate love and sexual attraction: Eros, equivalent to the Roman Cupid. This god was held responsible for infatuation, that is, for arousing maddening desire among human beings.
Eventually, the ancient Greeks distinguished between this type of love driven by erotic desire (Eros, and little cupids for the Romans) and solidarity or elevated love that is guided by the desire for well-being of the other (agape, and little faces for the Romans).
This distinction is central to Western thought and gave rise centuries later to the distinction between erotic love (linked to the body) and romantic love (linked to the spirit), although the two need not necessarily always be separate.
Eroticism has always had a huge presence in the arts and culture, either protected by ambiguity and apparent innocence, or in a more frontal and suggestive way.
On the other hand, it has been in constant tension with monotheistic religions, which are generally modest and frown on both nudity and sexual desire (lust). However, many descriptions of the mystical or religious rapture, such as those composed by Saint Teresa of Jesus (1515-1582), can have an undeniable erotic tone.
On the other hand, eroticism is not exclusive to art and culture, but rather is part of everyday life, to the extent that individuals have fantasies, hidden desires and feelings of their own around the sexual act, which can vary from individual to individual and are part of the discourse that we weave around sex.
Eroticism is present in seduction, since it is a way of expressing sexual affections, and it is said that a person is eroticized when he is “taken” by them.
Characteristics of eroticism
In general, eroticism is considered to have the following characteristics:
- It is everything that connects the viewer with sexual desire and physical attraction, although rarely explicit and direct: the erotic is usually suggestive, veiled, inviting.
- It’s a cultural perspective, which can vary from one town to another and is not properly reduced to sexual libido, although it is capable of arousing it.
- From a social point of view, It is part of the individual and collective ways of expressing sexual interest and to attract the other, in order to lead to intercourse.
- Eroticism can be encouraged or appeased, and many couples seek the former through erotic games (or sex games), such as power dynamics, costumes, role plays, etc.
Eroticism in art
The presence of eroticism in art dates, as we have said, from ancient times. In fact, some of the first human sculptural representations accentuate the erotic features (the bust, her body curves, etc.) of female effigies, surely associated with the religious cult of some deity linked to fertility (of the womb or of the soil).
However, as cultures developed more complex social and religious systems, and many sexual behaviors were subject to repression or taboo, eroticism gained ground as an artistic outlet to hint at (rather than show) sexual desire.
Usually, erotic art is content to show in a veiled way, to suggest or hint what cannot be appreciated frontally, through paintings, poems or sculptures. The nude in antiquity, for example, did not have the same erotic considerations that it would have in the Middle Ages, given the repression of sensuality that characterized European Christianity at the time.
But erotic art survived and reappeared with force in the contemporaneity, using the new techniques artistic representation, such as comic strips, photography or cinema, in which situations, visions or stories with suggestive content are represented. Unlike pornography, traditionally linked to business and bad taste, artistic eroticism is considered a valuable form of human expression.
Examples of erotic artistic works are:
- Katsushika Hokusai’s Japanese Woodcuts (1760-1849), as The dream of the fisherman’s wife (1814).
- The novel Lolita (1955) by Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977).
- The erotic cartoons of the Italian Milo Namara (1945-) as The click (1984) or The invisible perfume (1986).
- The movie The last Tango in Paris (1972) by Bernardo Bertolucci (1941-2018).
Eroticism and pornography
The line between eroticism and pornography is difficult to draw and often complicated. Traditionally, the erotic is considered to imply a veiled, suggestive or suggestive representation, while the pornographic is the explicit, frontal or in bad taste.
However, that distinction has become more and more complicated with the passing of time, as discourses around the body and art change and much of what was once a source of scandal is found today in the museums.
It is also possible to distinguish between eroticism and pornography from a more pragmatic consideration: the former obeys the world of art and human behavior, while the latter is linked to the commercial exploitation of the cinematographic representation of sex.
I mean, pornography is an industry dedicated to producing movies about sex, whose mission is to eroticize or excite the viewer, but devoid of any considerable artistic merit.
Even so, many complicated and intermediate cases arise, many artists accused of being pornographers or, why not, many forms of pornography that have conquered the hearts of those who appreciate art. It is, therefore, a distinction that is constantly changing and redefining, although at any given moment in history it is possible to differentiate between what is acceptable (eroticism) and what is taboo (pornography).
Autoeroticism
With the term autoeroticism, in the jargon of psychoanalysis, the German psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) referred to certain forms of sexuality that are manifested around one’s own body, regardless of someone else to be satisfied. Masturbation is the main act of autoeroticism, generally through bodily stimulation through one’s own hands, or through erotic toys such as vibrators, dildos, etc.
How to enhance eroticism?
In the case of couples who seek to enhance their erotic life, to rekindle or intensify their sexual encounters, there are many possible ways to regain the lost connection with the other, but all necessarily They must start from communication and the search for formulas that are stimulating for both. Among them are, generally:
- Massages, dances, aphrodisiac meals or even trips that interrupt the routine and regain a sense of novelty.
- Role plays, costumes and the use of suggestive underwear.
- The incorporation of sex toys during intercourse, or fetishistic sexual practices (BDSM).
- The incorporation of third parties during intercourse, or the practice of sexual exchanges (swingers).
Whichever practice you choose to try, it must always be mutually agreed between the parties, or you run the risk of causing unexpected damage to the couple’s relationship, or even to the psyche of the participants. In the same way, any sexual practice must be experienced with responsibility (both affective and physical) and due protection from sexually transmitted diseases.