What is art to one my be pornography to another

In every aspect of life and art, critics always present themselves. Art is not just a matter of taste; it is a matter of opinion. Every individuals opinion differs from art piece to art piece. On extremely erotic image to one may be pornography to another. Due to the fact nudity has been art since the beginning of time it may be hard to determine if the image or statue is art. Each person is entitled to an opinion for what art is.
Throughout the past weeks I have provided evidence from artist and critics alike showing examples of from each side. Some believe art, good art, is determined by experts in the art field. Art, however, is determined to be art by the individual looking upon it. There is really no way to determine the line between erotic art and what can be considered “soft core pornography”
Across the world people look at images in different ways. Advertisements are a perfect example. Many commercials in which are banned from the U.S. are gladly shown in many European countries. However, there are plenty of musicians who are banned from Muslim countries due to the explicit nature of their shows and performances.
Art comes in an array of types. Paintings, photography, theater, and music are just a few. Art is not determined by the artist alone, but by the viewer. There are art shows across the nation which have been boycotted due to their erotic nature. But America gives everyone the right to freedom of expression. In possessing this freedom of expression artists have no limit to their creativity. Sex has been in art as long as art has been around. The way people except erotic art come in waves.
Many Americans would not appreciate sexual art the same way ancient Romans or Egyptians did. The one important thing to remember when speaking about art is no one board of people or one art dealer can decide if something is good art. People must remain open minded to the way others see things. If you close out the possibilities of what a piece of art might be, you close out possibilities of what it could mean to you. Look at art from every angle, it may not be intended as pornographic. However, some great art from the past is not art at all but pornography of its era. Never determine for another what the piece is, only determine for yourself.

Is It or Isn't It

Within the art world people see what they want. There is no right or wrong when it comes to the way each individual perceives a piece of art. To tell someone what they are looking at is not art when they believe it to be is the main topic of discussion when determining what art really is.

Nudity can be art in a very sexual form. However, when looking at a piece of art, what I decide to be art may not be what the person next to me thinks is art. The art world is so extremely diverse and that is what makes art so great. Erotic art in Europe is amazing to many Europeans, however, that same art can be a disgusting piece of work to Americans. Determining the difference is in the eyes of the beholder.

The Opposition

While researching sex in art or nudity in are I have decided determining the line between art and pornography is in the eyes of the onlooker. However, there are many "groups" out in the world who oppose this thought. Take for example the Arabic religion, showing any part of a woman's body is sac religious except the eyes. There are many cultures which agree with this way of life. Some will say and image in a sexual nature is pornography, if this is true then many pieces of ancient art are not art at all but old world pornography. These are just a few reasons why art is still concidered art in the eyes of the beholder.

Getting To Know It

While researching the issue of erotic art I have come to an understanding that only the onlooker can decide for his or her self whether or not the piece, to them, is art or pornography. Because there are so many different views in the world and so many different opinions there is no way to categorize certain works of art into one category or the other. A perfect example is the more conservative way many Americans look at art as oppose to Europeans.

Around the world art takes on many styles and forms. One new age type of are is the of the cartoon kind. Many women are used in this type to show a sexual body. These women are drawn with muscular bodies, large breasts, thick thighs, and little to no clothing. In the eyes of many this is art. From this point forward I am planning on finding some type of balance and general consensus of art as oppose to pornography.

Defining Art

There are many ways to define art in words. The most common way is for the audience to determine what the piece means to each individual. The way art makes one feel is a good starting point. Terms like sad, happy, amazed are some of the more common words used. The definition of each word is obvious, but when it comes to art, each word can take on many different meanings.

In art which is sexual, words such as seductive, erotic, explicit and many others can be used. The importance of defining these words is to have a common understanding of them. However, all of these words may have a small common understanding but they are also widely open to interpretation. What is erotic to one may be plain to another. As long as the authors definition is plainly laid out, it will be easier for the audiamce to understand what is being portrayed.

Sex in Advertising

One of the most popular advertising slogans to date is "sex sells". So this means, for a product to sell or sell well, some sort of sexual material should be connected with the product. It is very easy for a company to use an image, which is intended as artwork, to add a sexual nature to the product. The image I attached is being used to advertise for a web site. In some aspect this image can be considered art. There are no explicit body parts being shown, and yes, it is obvious the two are in a sexual position, however there is something soft and artistic about the image.

Due to the fact this image is being used on a website that involves sexual questions, many Americans would think of it as pornographic. This website is based out of the UK and images like this are looked upon in a more liberal sense. It is diffidently safe to say, many Europeans can look at an erotic image and see art in it, as many Americans look at an erotic image and see pornography. There is no right or wrong in this situation....just a matter of preference.

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/sex-doctor/css/sex-life150209.jpg

Ancient Art or Pornography

www.gadling.com posted an article on May 18, 2010, written by Sean McLachlan, describing the artwork found in a bath house in Pompeii. Many brothels in Rome are prime examples of old world pornographic art work. As to no surprise this bath house is no different. The only detail which sets this bath house apart from others is the idea that this bath house was not segregated by gender.

In the article the author describes the generalization of artwork in ancient brothels and bath houses. The artwork in this particular bath house is similar to those found around Roam except there seems to be more three and four party sex images in the art. These pieces of art give the idea this bath house may have been more of a stop for prostitution. "The changing room in these baths had cubbyholes for storing clothing. Each one was decorated with lively scenes of straight sex, group sex, oral sex, and just plain acrobatic sex."

This article proves my point of sex in art. Through out history art work has had sex in it. However, this type of art work seems to be more of pornography than art. Today people consider these paintings art, if an artist was to paint this image today, not many would consider it art but porn. This again is the issue of determining the line of art vs. pornography. Where is the line and who decides?