Portal:Erotica and pornography
Introduction
Pornography (colloquially known as porn or porno) has been defined as sexual subject material "such as a picture, video, or text" that is intended for sexual arousal. Made for the consumption by adults, pornography depictions have evolved from cave paintings, some forty millennia ago, to virtual reality presentations. A general distinction of adult content is made classifying it as pornography or erotica.
The oldest artifacts considered pornographic were discovered in Germany in 2008 CE and are dated to be at least 35,000 years old. Throughout the history of erotic depictions, various people made attempts to suppress them under obscenity laws, censor, or make them illegal. Such grounds and even the definition of pornography have differed in various historical, cultural, and national contexts. The Indian Sanskrit text Kama Sutra (3rd century CE) contained prose, poetry, and illustrations regarding sexual behavior, and the book was celebrated; while the British English text Fanny Hill (1748), considered "the first original English prose pornography," has been one of the most prosecuted and banned books. In the late 19th century, a film by Thomas Edison that depicted a kiss was denounced as obscene in the United States, whereas Eugène Pirou's 1896 film Bedtime for the Bride was received very favorably in France. Starting from the mid-twentieth century on, societal attitudes towards sexuality became more lenient in the Western world where legal definitions of obscenity were made limited. In 1969, Blue Movie became the first film to depict unsimulated sex that received a wide theatrical release in the United States. This was followed by the "Golden Age of Porn" (1969–1984). The introduction of home video and the World Wide Web in the late 20th century led to global growth in the pornography business. Beginning in the 21st century, greater access to the Internet and affordable smartphones made pornography more mainstream. (Full article...)
Erotica is literature or art that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use any artistic form to depict erotic content, including painting, sculpture, drama, film or music. Erotic literature and erotic photography have become genres in their own right. Erotica also exists in a number of subgenres including gay, lesbian, women's, bondage, monster and tentacle erotica.
The term erotica is derived from the feminine form of the ancient Greek adjective: ἐρωτικός (erōtikós), from ἔρως (érōs)—words used to indicate lust, and sexual love. (Full article...)
Selected article
Caligula (Italian: Caligola) is a 1979 erotic historical drama film about the rise and fall of controversial Roman emperor Caligula. The film stars Malcolm McDowell (who also co-wrote the film) in the title role, alongside Teresa Ann Savoy, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, John Steiner, and John Gielgud.
Original screenwriter Gore Vidal and film director Tinto Brass both disavowed the extensive changes to their contributions, with Brass dismissed prior to editing. Financier producer Bob Guccione, founder of Penthouse magazine, engaged Giancarlo Lui to film post-production scenes featuring hardcore sex, significantly altering the film's tone and style.
Initially released to Italian cinemas in 1979, then screened in America the following year, Caligula was met with legal issues and controversies over its violent and sexual content. Different abridged versions were released worldwide, while its uncut form remains banned in several countries. Despite a generally negative reception, the film has gained notoriety as a cult classic with significant merit for its political content and historical portrayal. A 178-minute Ultimate Cut, approved by McDowell and containing new footage not included in the theatrical release, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. (Full article...)Selected work of erotic literature
List of selected works
|
---|
Slideshow of selected contemporary images
-
Marilyn Monroe in Haugesund harbour, NorwaySculpture of
-
Hugh Hefner with Karissa Shannon, Dasha Astafieva, and Kristina Shannon
-
COLT Studio Group, San FranciscoThe
-
World map showing laws of general pornography
-
Silvia Saint, wearing a Bomis tee-shirt (a site previously run by Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia).
-
Katsuni - French pornographic actress.
-
Valentina Nappi at the AVN Awards Show, Las Vegas, Nevada on 21 January 2017
-
Audrey Hollander - American porn star
-
Miles Long (submitted by self)Pornographic actor and director
-
Carmen Luvana, Adult Entertainment Expo 2008
-
Daisy Marie posing with a fan at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2008
-
Xaviera Hollander, author and former Sex worker
- Example of
- Pornographic actress and
-
Playmate of the Year and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals spokesperson Pamela Anderson, signing DVDs at the USS Halsey
- Michele_Merkin -
-
American pornographic actor Ron Jeremy. One of top Porn Stars of All Time.
- Swedish/Tanzanian
- Dean Flynn and
-
Pornographic film set. Pictured from left to right: Cali Chase, Mikey Butders, and a photographer identified as "Nicole."
- Transsexual pornographic actress
-
Joanna Jet - transsexual pornographic actress and director
-
Pierre Woodman filming in Australia
-
Dani Daniels, wearing Penthouse key necklacePenthouse Pet
-
Fluffer hands gay porn performers Jake Starr (seated) and Erik Grant (lying) items needed for a scene in the 2008 Lucas Entertainment production Pounding the Pavement.A
-
Bondage pornography, showing classic "wrist to ankle" rope hogtie. Other bondage methods depicted are breast bondage, elbow bondage, head to ankle tie, knees tied, and a crotch rope. Model is also wearing a muzzle gag.
- Erotic actress and public health advocate
-
Kawaii" sectionPornographic DVDs, Japan, "
-
Sean Michaels - pornographic actor.
-
Hentai style of art, originally from Japan
-
Rebeca Linares at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2009
-
Shy Love at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2012
-
United States Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General, August 4, 1986Figure 12 in Zillmann, Dolf: "Effects of Prolonged Consumption of Pornography", included in the Report of the Surgeon General's Workshop on Pornography and Public Health,
Slideshow of selected historical images
-
Miniature from 15th century Persian book
-
Erotic art, India, 18th century
-
Hokusai, Untamed Lion, From the series Picture Book Patterns of Couples (Ehon tsui no hinagata), c. 1812
-
Kama Sutra illustration (19th century?)
-
Hokusai, Untitled (Plate No. 4) From the series Picture Book Patterns of Couples (Ehon tsui no hinagata), c. 1812
-
Richard Borrmeister (1888?)Indian Princess, by
-
Juliette by the Marquis de Sade.Illustration from
-
Martin van Maële (1905)Illustration from La Grande Danse macabre des vifs,
-
Shunga, Japan (ca 1750)
-
Johann Nepomuk Geiger, watercolor, 1840
-
Greek Bas Relief showing "Cowgirl" positionClassical
- Traditional
-
Erotic scene. Rim of an Attic red-figure kylix, c. 510 BC., ancient Greece
-
Kama Sutra illustration (19th century?)
- Two Lovers, by
-
Cunnilingus portrayed at Pompeii - Source: John R. Clarke: Ars Erotica. Darmstadt: Primus 2009
-
Nineteenth century nude photograph.
-
Vishwanath temple at the Khajuraho Group of MonumentsErotic detail from the
- A
-
Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho, India, taken by User:Ggia
-
Kama Sutra illustration (19th century?)
-
Joe Shuster (public domain)Nights of Horror, panel by
-
Katsushika Hokusai, "The Adonis Plant (Fukujusô)" Woodblock, ca. 1815, Japan Shunga
-
Venus of Willendorf prehistoric sculptureThe
-
rape scene by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (ca.1797-1861).A
-
Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho
-
Roman oil lamp portraying intercourse
- Erotic art, 18th century
Did you know (auto-generated) -
- ... that Philipp Tanzer has been an army medic, artist, firefighter, hairdresser, massage therapist, festival organiser, political candidate and gay porn star?
- ... that Christian radio station KIXL near Austin, Texas, pulled an anti-pornography program off-air in mid-transmission because of its graphic descriptions of gay sex?
- ... that Nickelodeon storyboard artists created a book with hundreds of pornographic drawings of SpongeBob SquarePants characters?
- ... that zombie pornography emerged in the 1980s during a rise in the Italian sexploitation film industry?
- ... that Jan Kochanowski's Fraszki is a 16th-century collection of almost 300 poems, ranging from anecdotes and epitaphs to obscenities and erotica?
- ... that the Japanese male–male romance magazine June was originally pitched to its publisher as a "mildly pornographic magazine for women"?
- ... that the 1983 pink film Beautiful Mystery was one of the earliest commercially produced gay pornographic films in Japan?
- ... that according to one source, The Embroidered Couch is "most likely China's earliest vernacular pornographic novel"?
Topics
Categories
Related portals
Associated WikiProjects
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus