Artistic Photos
This is a place to post your "artistic" photos for others to view and enjoy. However you choose to define "artistic" is up to each individual. The genesis of this idea for me was having taken some shadow/silhouette photos, wanting to share them, but not really knowing where to post them. They are "soft" nude photos that are more provocative than explicit. Hoping...
- created by raymondbill
artistic or porn
Return to DiscussionsSupreme Court Justice Potter Stewart: in deciding what is pornography: I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.
Tex123 posted a wonderful black and white artistic pic on July 19 that shows neither breasts nor vulva but is erotic and artistic at the same time. The knees are together, arms parallel to her legs, the model is sitting on the floor facing the camera but her face is not visible. Wonderful soft lines of her body leaves so much to the imagination, which is what artistic nudes should be about.
Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart: in deciding what is pornography: I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.
Justice Potter Stewart was a wise man.
As was said, porn is in the eye of the beholder. I'm a nude model and I've been in art classes where one student considered it porn and another did not. She (the one that did not) asked me what I thought. I told her that posing nude for me wasn't porn. That got me thinking...what does the person think who is the subject of the photo? To some people posing nude is a sexual thing for them and to them that is porn. It's exciting for them. However, if the subject is engaged in a sexual activity, I think that crosses the line for many people. I've been asked to pose erect but without any sexual "activity" just so the artists could draw me in a state of arousal. It was fun, but it was difficult for many reasons. In my mind that wasn't porn.
I posed for life drawing classes. The purpose is to draw a human body. Some beginning classes are basically "stick figures" but true life drawing is not just a head and body, with arms and legs. It involves the perspective of the entire nude body, including detailed and anatomically correct genitals, as well as eyes, ears, feet, hands and mouth.
As was said, porn is in the eye of the beholder.
Then there is "Erotic" which I consider to be somewhat arousing without being 'dirty'. Again, that is something I couldn't describe.
I can say for sure that some people are offended by almost anything.
As long as it is done in good taste, I think artistic creations, weather painted, molded or sculpted , can be just that, without crossing the porn line. At times , on the other hand, art can be provocative without the explicit showing of genitalia food for thought
Agree, some close up's of our genitals can look amazing and mimic other beautiful things in nature. I've seen a vulva photo close up to be like an orchid or other flower, and in context it looked great. There are some close up's of penis's including erect ones that are very effective / creative too, however most photo's posted here are nothing like that. Most are poor quality dick pic's, that we have seen too many times. I've been pushing to raise the standard & quality, after all the group is called Artistic photo's. By all means post a close up but make it good, creative, artistic .....
I have a bit to say about this... As a female model of over 8 years, I have worked with many photographers, videographers, and artists. I have shot glamour, boudoir, art nude, nude, erotic, and fetish concepts none of which I consider "pornographic". Backing things up I am on this site because I thoroughly enjoy the naturism lifestyle. Being nude and comfortable in my skin around others is something that gave a 40-year-old woman with MANY imperfections the confidence to not only pose nude but also have the images published online and in magazines. Eight years later I am still modeling always pushing my limits and very happy with the comments I get from my posts and publications.
So let's get to the actual definition of "pornography".
From merriam-webster.com
pornography
/prnrf/
noun
1: the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement
2: material (such as books or a photograph) that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement
3: the depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction
*****************************
Based on this definition every Miley Cyrus, Madonna, and 80% of every concert we send our kids to willingly is "pornographic". Also, a lot of Renaissance, Ancient Greek, and Egyptian art would be classified as "pornographic". So I guess the question is: In this day and age do we consider a vulva at rest or open (for those who don't know the vulva and vagina are different), erect penis, or vaginal penetration pornographic just because they are being depicted as sexually aroused even though that is a perfectly normal state of everyone's body at some point? If so The Met, The Louvre, and many other famous museums should immediately remove the art they have that applies to this definition because there is A LOT of it.
Being innately limitless, art allows erotica to dwell within its reign, legitimizing the use of explicit imagery in creative invention. So, erotic art is still art, meaning the visuals it portrays carry a certain meaning related to higher ideas. Erotica treats topics related to love in a sensuous and voluptuous manner, relying on the richness of pictorial and literary language to paint the titillating picture.
Sexual arousal "can" be the effect of observing an erotic piece of art (as can National Geographic for some), but its not the only impression given to the viewer. Erotic art is both emotionally and intellectually challenging, frequently rendering crucial issues related to human sexuality, while aesthetics is always important and refined. This kind of art never crosses the limit into accidental crudeness, even when it depicts unpleasant subjects.
Erotica is essentially based on human reality, fantasy, opening doors to mysteries of the hidden minds corners, awakening imagination, and, perhaps most importantly, allowing interpretation according to the viewer wishes. Erotica sets the tone, allures the viewer, and lets them enter the plane of their own fancy, where they are in charge and the story goes in the direction the viewer chooses. I mentioned reality above because much of the erotica you see portrayed is in fact reality for some men, women, and couples.
Pornography, or porn, on the other hand, leaves very little to the imagination. It stimulates the brain in one way alone, not relying much on execution or artistic quality, but on sheer depiction of the sexual act itself. The sexual act is pre-chosen by consumers, knowing what to expect - blondes, Asians, whatever, frequently disregarding any sense of true style or aesthetics. Porn art would be the kitschy side of erotica, the one that has crossed the boundary, entering into the unforgivable plane of shimmery, but short-lasting effects. Pornography is not concerned with crucial themes, it doesnt have social or emotional grounds, every attempt for diversity is there purely as a mask for the core want - the arousal and the quick fix. Porn, therefore, is only one possible answer to erotic fantasy, one of a zillion possibilities, one the viewer might have not imagined as such. Pornography is the soap-opera version of erotic art.
I guess my feeling is that there is no difference between a photo or painting drawing of a woman masturbating a couple engaging in sensual relations where a man has an erect penis or two females loving each other in 2023 than there was in 510 BC, the 1500s or early 1900's many of which are hallmarks of art museums around the world. Well... the resolution of photos is obviously better and very life-like.
But does that make it "porn" if I am expressing myself through my art exhibiting my sexuality in the way I live my life or would like to imitate art I've seen and liked? If I post a photo of my vulva close up or where I am masturbating, or having sex with a man or woman or both, or if it's fetish or BDSM in nature or any photo that opens the mind for interpretation on a sexual level.... well I am sure the admins here, on Instagram, Facebook, etc would blow their lids and I would have the images removed or worse be banned from the sites. All this because my actions, albeit very normal for every human on the planet, would be called "pornographic" because I was nude, in the image and doing something totally normal by any human standard.
Now... What if an artist drew or painted me engaged in the SAME "erotic acts" from reference photos provided to him or her? Same situations. Same poses. Is it still pornography or is it the interpretation of an artist of a life figure in a life situation adapted to their perception and ability? If I post a photo of MY body dressed or nude it is MY body and MY body is MY temple to use as I see fit. The presence of my vulva resting or open is just a vulva and all women have them. If I am touching myself in an effort to promote that self-love is normal then I am just presenting my art of me doing something that 98% of the population does on a normal basis. The same thing applies to oral and sexual intercourse. We ALL friggin' have sex so what is the problem of me making art be it a photo, drawing, or painting?
I am attaching photos of art taken from the internet, none of which post date 1926. That is almost 100 years ago for those of you keeping track. Most however are much older. I am also attaching art that has been created for me by artists from all over the world from actual reference photos. Some are as tame as the Nude Venus and some as fantastical as the 1814 "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" by Katsushika Hokusai. Either way, they represent art, not pornography, that I am proud to have been a part of creating from the photo to the art.
I hope I have been clear on my feelings regarding the body, what constitutes art, and what constitutes pornography. For the nay-sayers who disagree with my point of view, I invite you to look at my @emp_modelingart Instagram. All of those art images were created from actual reference photos and had I posted the original my account would have been deleted. However, because they have been rendered by an artist they are safe under the terms of service for IG. So friggin' stupid on their part. Art is Art!
Ok.. Sorry for the book and have a good day/night. I'd love to hear y'all thoughts on this.
May
If the community does not mind my being candidly honest? We are in the midst of a very unique, Sex Positive-Body Positive-Self Love Revolution lead by Young entrepreneurs fresh out of High School, with a following populous reaching into 7 digit #s. We should embrace the Free Spirit Mind Set of Our Youth, Who Have Taken an Influential Chapter Right Out Of Our Playbook from the Lat 60s through mid-70s. Vinyl, Led Zeppelin, Bell Bottoms, Peace Love and Roller Skating Dominate Trends as youth crawl out from their WaFu Dojo Mega Gaming Dungeons of Covid Isolation, into the streets to express themselves exactly as we did back then. Our bodies were considered Temples of Worship Open To The Public Respectful of this very topic- Artistic Expression or Exhibition of Sexual Liberation the question posed then while more and more the movement blossomed and NUDISM WAS NORMALIZED!
As long as an image contains subjects that are not engaged in a physical act intended to sexually arouse the viewer. An erotic pose in sheer lingerie vs a micro bikini for example- Which is anything remotely close to a form of art? When I see a Nudist on X promoting a Naturist/Nudism Dating Site for Nudists, posting hundreds of photos of women nudist and female exhibitionists in full frontal pose that sets the scene as Sexual instantly. Then they throw in several mini clips of full penetration scenes of young men and women having sex on populated Beachs and Promote as Nudism! Complaints to AANR delivered zero response! Instagram, the harshest censoring platform online at one time, now facilitates Live Sex Broadcast of Children being exploited sexually, sedated and raped by dogs or horses-groups of Muslim Men, 100% Uncensored, Banned all around the world content due to ages of victims being under 7 years old. 8-17 y/olds are grooming the younger groups of kids to be Lesbians or Furries openly engaged in uncensored sex acts!
The new age Sex Positive Revolution is only receiving blow-back from LGBTQ-whatevers trying to escape their new Child Endangerment Predatory Tag of Baby GROOMERS! The wider their mouth opens, the emptier the chamber