Erotica

Ancient Greece

There Were Really Hot Guys in Ancient Greece: The Barberini Faun

Drunk, sleeping men are rarely, if ever, beautiful and sexually appealing, but this is not the case with this really sexy faun from ancient Greece.

Marta Loza 7 June 2024

Erotica

Celebrating the Male Body in Renaissance Florence

The adoration of the male body was an inspiration for many artists and there is no medium better suited to presenting the full beauty and complexity...

Joanna Kaszubowska 7 June 2024

Erotica

The Victorians: An Unexpected World of Erotica and Pornography (NSFW)

The subject of erotica is vast. Even reduced to only the Victorian world of erotica, it’s a challenge to write about in the space of an article.

Sarah Mills 3 June 2024

Erotica

Pretty Women: Female Beauty and the Three Graces in Paintings

The paintings depicting three Graces are present throughout all art history. Although the characters are the same, the representations change a lot...

Rute Ferreira 15 May 2024

Erotica

Lesbian Love and Sex in Art History (NSFW!)

Lesbian love and sex are rarely seen in classical art history. But if you dig deep enough you will see many examples of artworks from the earliest...

Marija Canjuga 24 April 2024

Erotica

Lesbianism in Art? Warning: Erotic Scenes in Abundance

Ever wondered about the presence of homosexuality in art? Today we’ll travel a bit in time to see how art has treated the subject of lesbians.

Magda Michalska 24 April 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: La Toilette by François Boucher

The soft rustle of silky cloth and the hard crackling of burning wood echo against the yellow-papered walls of the boudoir. The small room is...

James W Singer 14 April 2024

Artist Stories

Powerful or Problematic? Robert Mapplethorpe’s Photographs

Photographer Robert Mapplethorpe shocked the world with his images of bondage, gay sex, female bodybuilders and naked black men. Technically brilliant or politically problematic, what do you think?

Candy Bedworth 12 April 2024

Correggio, Jupiter and Io, 1530, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Jupiter and Io by Correggio

Jupiter and Io by Correggio is a masterpiece of the Northern Italian Renaissance. It explores sensual nudity through the lens of a Roman...

James W Singer 24 March 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Birth of Venus by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

The Birth of Venus is probably the most famous painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, and it is considered a masterpiece of French Academic...

James W Singer 24 March 2024

Alexandre Cabanel, Cleopatra, 1887, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Cleopatra by Alexandre Cabanel

Queen Cleopatra is a popular subject today – as she was in the late 19th century. Alexandre Cabanel’s Cleopatra explores a single moment of her...

James W Singer 3 March 2024

Erotica

Pillow Talk Stories: The Comfiest Beds in Paintings

When you think about it, most of the events throughout our lives take place in beds. From birth to death, beds are imbued with the ultimate...

Maia Heguiaphal 16 February 2024