Erotica

Erotica describes works of art or literature that depict or describe sexual scenes. Erotica is meant to arouse sexual feelings in people and can be found in paintings, sculptures, plays, novels, photography, films, and music. Sexual imagery has been part of art and literature for thousands of years. Erotic depictions have appeared as far back as the Stone Age. Erotic imagery had spiritual and religious meaning for many ancient cultures. Modern erotica is commonly found in literature. Erotic literature is also referred to as sexual fantasy literature, as it often deals with explicit subjects such as fetishes and other sexual taboos.

History

Historians claim the oldest piece of erotic artwork was carved in a rock shelter in southern France around 35,000 BCE. A team of researchers discovered an image of female genitalia carved into the walls of this cave in 2012. Female nudity was commonly featured among early erotic imagery. An ancient limestone sculpture known as the Venus of Willendorf was created in lower Austria sometime between 28,000 and 25,000 BCE. The sculpture depicts a full-figured nude woman, considered the epitome of female fertility at the time. Archaeologists later discovered what they considered the world’s oldest pornographic scene in Germany in 2005. The discovery unearthed a 7,200-year-old statue that appeared to show a man and a woman engaged in a sexual position. Up until that point, the oldest pornographic artwork was believed to have been frescoes created about 2,000 years ago.

Ancient Egyptian culture partook in pornographic entertainment as well. Nineteenth-century archaeologists discovered an 8.5-foot sheet of papyrus they named the Turin Erotic Papyrus, which they believed was created around 1150 BCE. The papyrus featured many erotic images, including the center image depicting an orgy between pharaohs.

Sexual scenes also dominated ceramic artwork of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Greek ceramic pottery featured some of the earliest illustrations of same-sex relations. They also often depicted the common Greek practice of pederasty, or sexual relations between adult males and adolescent boys. Around the fifth century BCE, Greek scholars regularly participated in symposiums, or gatherings where men had philosophical discussions around meals and drinks. Wine cups were known to have humorous erotic images painted inside that could only be revealed after the cup had been emptied. Ceramic vases also showed a variety of sexual-related material, usually related to pederasty.

Ancient peoples did not just depict erotic imagery for entertainment’s sake. Early erotic art also had religious significance. Places of worship in Greece and Rome featured erotic imagery. Erotica was also a source of superstition, and many Romans used phallic images and carvings as good luck charms. Religiously affiliated sexual artwork also appeared in many Eastern regions, such as India, Japan, and China.

Eastern civilizations produced some of the most famous erotic works of art and literature to date. Composition of the famous Indian Hindu sex manual, the Kama Sutra, began around 400 BCE. Sex manuals could be found in many regions around the world throughout history, but the Kama Sutra was one of the few that remained popular for centuries. The manual consisted of more than sixty descriptions of various sexual acts designed to assist in spiritual fulfillment. Erotica traditions persisted for many centuries in the East. Examples in China can be found in Yuan and Ming dynasty art of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries CE. One of the most renowned forms of erotic art was known as shunga, a type of Japanese erotic art that was very popular throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries CE.

Erotica in Print

Mass circulation of erotic art and literature became possible with the invention of the printing press in the early 1400s. This made typically expensive erotica available to poorer classes of society. Erotic literature gained significant ground in the centuries to follow. Erotic texts accompanied by graphic illustrations became popular in Europe. Italian Renaissance writer and illustrator Marcantonio Raimondi caused a scandal in 1524 when he published I Modi, a book of erotic imagery that featured sex scenes between famous historical figures. Around 1610, an unknown author published an erotic novel titled Jin Ping Mei that has since been compared to Vladimir Nabokov’s classic erotic novel Lolita (1955).

France also saw a boom in erotic and pornographic art and literature throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. By the nineteenth century, the first pornographic magazines began emerging throughout France and other parts of Europe. Erotic art also found a new form of expression with the arrival of the daguerreotype (an early type of photograph produced on a silver plate) and later photography and film. Erotica began to distinguish itself from pornography as the years went on, however. Erotica tended to be more artistic in nature, whereas pornography had little artistic aspiration. Many of these early erotic photos, films, and novels were subjected to prosecution and censorship. Some countries also passed laws prohibiting or limiting erotic content in works of art.

Sexual mores loosened as the centuries went on, allowing erotica to flourish around the world. Apart from high art, such as sculptures and paintings, erotica was most commonly found in literature throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Classic authors such as Nabokov, D. H. Lawrence, Henry Miller, and James Joyce all composed erotic-themed writings during their careers. Erotica eventually became associated with contemporary fantasy fiction. Erotic fantasy was often found in modern romance novels and fan fiction. Although erotic literature primarily served as private entertainment for many readers, some writings found their way into public discourse. The 2012 publication of E L James’s erotic fan fiction novel Fifty Shades of Grey stirred a number of debates related to the healthiness of sadomasochistic sexual behavior, which involves sexual gratification by either causing or receiving pain. Despite discussion, James’s eventual trilogy of books went on to sell more than one hundred million copies around the world and was later adapted into a commercially successful film. Erotica continued as a genre as the twenty-first century progressed.

Bibliography

Carter, Rachel. “A Reader’s Guide to Erotica: The History and What Novels We’re Loving Now.” Book Trib, 29 Apr. 2016, booktrib.com/2016/04/29/a-readers-guide-to-erotica-the-history-and-what-novels-were-loving-now. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Diver, Krysia. "Archaeologist Finds ‘Oldest Porn Statue.’" The Guardian, 3 Apr. 2005, www.theguardian.com/world/2005/apr/04/arts.germany. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Frank, Priscilla. "A Brief and Gloriously Naughty History of Early Erotica in Art (NSFW)." HuffPost, 28 July 2015, www.huffpost.com/entry/a-brief-and-gloriously-naughty-history-of-erotica-in-art‗n‗55b65df9e4b0224d8832ecb9. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Goldhill, Olivia. "The History of Erotic Fiction." The Telegraph, 6 Mar. 2015, www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/11455231/The-history-of-erotic-fiction.html. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Maes, Hans. "Erotic Art." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University, 7 Feb. 2023, plato.stanford.edu/entries/erotic-art. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Pappas, Stephanie. "The History of Pornography No More Prudish than the Present." LiveScience, 11 Oct. 2010, www.livescience.com/8748-history-pornography-prudish-present.html. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.