The question of eroticism, pornography and art
The question of eroticism, pornography and art
By Chandra Johan
JAKARTA (JP): Eroticism, pornography and sexuality is the
latest hot topic amid various issues and unsolved problems. It
has become controversial in the midst of the penetration of mass
culture in the current globalization era, in which the limits of
eroticism, pornography and art become vague and confusing.
Confronted with moral issues and art, this subject becomes
more and more complicated and even ridiculous, creating a number
of questions that need answers. Can paintings by both Indonesian
and foreign artists portraying naked models be categorized as
immoral? Do works of art loaded with eroticism become non-art?
Must eroticism and sexuality problems be eliminated from
cultural discourse? Does the portrayal of a naked female or male
subject automatically promote eroticism? And can underwear
advertisements, featuring male and female models, in the print
media be considered pornographic too?
The discourse of sexuality should be examined further and
deeper because it involves our knowledge of reality dimension,
and because eroticism and sexuality belong to the discourse of
human culture, both from the East as well as the West.
In the world of art, whether photography or fine art, the
phenomenon of nakedness does not automatically count as sexual
exploitation, eroticism or pornography. Although the works
presented truly make an erotic impression, the artists cannot be
accused of being immoral and exploitative.
In differing degrees painters Mochtar Apin, Srihadi
Soedarsono, Basoeki Abdullah, Yoes Rizal (just to mention a few)
used to paint erotic pictures of naked female subjects, while
Jeihan painted a picture of a naked female which was not erotic
at all. The Seated Nude and Red Chair (l966) by Srihadi is
different from Jeihan's Nude (l977) -- the erotic charm is more
obvious in Srihadi's work.
There are many factors and reasons for this. One of these, of
course, is interpretation. Some artists are dissatisfied when
their paintings of a naked woman do not look erotic, even though
the model was not erotic or the artist did not use a model.
In many artifacts of ancient culture, whether in the East or
the West, naked objects, eroticism and love themes become a
discourse of its own culture and a mark of social status.
In Chandella temple in Khajuraho, North India, we can find
statues presenting the theme "lovers" (Mithuna), i.e. a couple
making love. Generally the man is taller, bearded and represents
perfected masculinity. While the woman is generally smaller,
submissive in the man's embrace. In portraying the woman, the
beauty of the body contours and other parts are emphasized, which
could represent femininity and idealized beauty.
With such a way of portraying, the lovers statue presents a
moment of rapture to the viewer. What is interesting in that
statue? First, in each statue the woman is smaller, and second,
the woman is not stark-naked but is exquisitely dressed, with a
cloth draped around her body, but with the belly and breasts
exposed. Clearly, the statues represent erotic love, and among
erotic representation, the degree of nakedness becomes the mark
of lovers -- a divine couple are more clothed.
Eroticism in a religious setting is hardly anathematic,
especially to Hindu art. Besides that, the presence of a loving
couple on the temple has talismanic value, representing notions
of wealth, prosperity and fertility. In interpreting the presence
of an explicitly erotic sculpture in a religious space should be
interrelated with an ideal kingship concept.
A brave soldier, a just ruler and a genuine king are also
patrons and connoisseurs of all art forms, including the art of
love. Therefore, a king is depicted as not only strong and
powerful in battle and at court, but also in erotic pursuits.
Two thousand years ago in Mexico, Colima village artisans made
erotic ceramics figures of loving couples with an expressive and
lyrical representation. The representation was not only
illustrative of the importance of love, but also served a
cosmological purpose as well, that between life and death there
is an inseparable part (woman and man are inseparable part, as
are yin and yang).
In Western culture the representation of the naked body
becomes a measure of its environment, and always becomes a
dominant topic of the whole pictorial endeavor. In his book An
Archeology of Morality in Bourgeois and Post-Bourgeois Times,
Otto Steinert explains that naked bodies (in paintings or
sculptures) represent the crowning artistic experience of an era.
According to him the body, with which man has been endowed by
nature is ennobled, divested of its individuality in order to
conform with established standards of perfection, to achieve the
effect of regularity through proportion and harmony, so that
ideal human figures are created, that even today considerably
influence our pictorial consciousness.
To achieve that ideal beauty, the curvaceous figures are
reduced to basic forms which conform to the established aesthetic
laws, making them into totally depersonalized symbols of the
female body, until it represents nothing more than the pictorial
composition.
In the photography world, for example, the complete figures
are cropped, often leaving just the torso, so that the pictures
are far from any personal and erotic realms of representation.
In the world of photography the terms "subjective photography"
and "objective photography" are used. The naked female object in
the first approach tends to present an erotic fantasy effect,
while the second approach generally seeks artistic sensitivity by
eliminating carnal effects to elevate the human body in line with
established aesthetic ideals.
Several studies about the nakedness phenomenon have come to
the conclusion that the essence of erotic images does not depend
on nakedness, but on the strategy of adding, putting and placing
elements around them. Elements like socks, clothes, shoes, veils,
shawls and other items are among the indispensable props to
enhance the erotic effect.
"Distance is what defines the artistic nude, closeness defines
the erotic objects, as well as, of course, the encouraging smile
and a come-hither flash of the eyes." This study was made by Uwe
Scheid in his book 1,000 Nudes.
Accordingly, the trend research of mass culture in l997 also
came to the conclusion that erotic pictures in magazines or
newspapers do not always rely on the nakedness, but on facial
expression and the pose of the subject. The image of erotic women
generally appears in a side by side composition, with "naughty"
eyes. While naked woman in photography or paintings are usually
in a frontal position, but it does not automatically become
erotic, even though a moralist may call it pornography.