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context: painting > prints > subjects
Sex
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Utamaro's Lovers |
Erotic prints (shunga) were very common - almost every ukiyo-e artist of note produced some, the first nudity seen in Japanese art, as far as I'm aware (art writers are so coy on this subject). They vary widely - some subtly erotic, softcore, and some pretty brutal, kind of ugly. I illustrate this range with two prints by the great Utamaro - the first is subtly erotic and gentle, beautiful and rich in all kinds of ways (the man's eye is a favourite little detail in world art for me, so similar to the woman's hair at that point, perhaps a lovely "just lines on paper!" joke), the kind of image that went at the front of a shunga set - this took that role in Utamakura (The Poem Of The Pillow) of 1788.
The other I provide here as a link because it may shock and is not appropriate for young viewers: filthy, pornographic Utamaro. The title I've seen for it is 'Forgive Me If I Tear Your Ass' - it's one man preparing to enter another. The giant erection on show is pretty commonplace in these pics. I can think of a lot of different reasons for the exaggerated proportions, but I don't know which have any validity.
It may be obvious, but it's not said enough in art books that cover erotica/porn (I'm not interested in arguing that distinction - in fact I may be inclined to argue against ever making the distinction), that these were not just bought as high art, they were sexual stimulation, to turn people on, just like porn mags/movies now. People masturbated over these pictures. We don't have to dodge this to value them as art.