Portal:Erotica and pornography

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Welcome to the Erotica and pornography Portal

Before the Deluge by Cornelis van Haarlem, 1615

Introduction

P:XXX

Pornography (colloquially known as porn or porno) is sexual subject material such as a picture, video, text, or audio that is intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings, some forty millennia ago, to modern virtual reality presentations. A general distinction of adults-only sexual content is made-classifying it as pornography or erotica.

The oldest artifacts considered pornographic were discovered in Germany in 2008 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 by Andy Warhol 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 art, literature or photography 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, monster, tentacle erotica and bondage 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...)

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Selected article

Caligula (Italian: Caligola) is a 1979 erotic historical drama film about the rise and fall of Roman Emperor Caligula. The film stars Malcolm McDowell 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, receiving more favorable reviews from critics. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected work of erotic literature

Emmanuelle (Emmanuelle: The Joys of a Woman) is an erotic novel by Emmanuelle Arsan originally written in French and published in France in 1967. It was translated into and published in English in 1971 by Mayflower Books. It is a series of explicit erotic fantasies of the author in which she has sex with several—often anonymous—men and women, as well as her husband. It is written in the first person and the reader sees events entirely through the eyes of the sexually adventurous heroine. The book sold widely and later went on to be adapted into a film. The book had two print sequels, and the film launched an extended series. (Full article...)

List of selected works
The Autobiography of a Flea Fifty Shades of Grey Story of the Eye Story of O Fanny Hill Jin Ping Mei Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle Lady Chatterley's Lover The Songs of Bilitis The 120 Days of Sodom Kama Sutra Lolita Tropic of Cancer (novel) Josephine Mutzenbacher Tijuana bible Sex (book)

Slideshow of selected contemporary images

Image 1A 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.
Image 2Sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in Haugesund harbour, Norway

Image 2Sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in Haugesund harbour, Norway
Image 3Francois Sagat, Folsom Street Fair
Image 4Shy Love at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2012
Image 5Hugh Hefner with Karissa Shannon, Dasha Astafieva, and Kristina Shannon
Image 6Erotic actress and public health advocate Sharon Mitchell.
Image 7Karen McDougal
Image 8Hentai Manga, Japan
Image 9Rebeca Linares at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2009
Image 10Dean Flynn and Chi Chi LaRue
Image 11Pornographic actor and director Miles Long (submitted by self)
Image 12Pornographic actress and cosplayer Tanya Tate as She-Ra
Image 13Jenna Jameson
Image 14Bondage 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.
Image 15Valentina Nappi at the AVN Awards Show, Las Vegas, Nevada on 21 January 2017
Image 16Rocco Siffredi
Image 17Xaviera Hollander, author and former Sex worker
Image 18Sean Michaels - pornographic actor.
Image 19Joanna Jet - transsexual pornographic actress and director
Image 20Penthouse Pet Dani Daniels, wearing Penthouse key necklace
Image 21Figure 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, United States Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General, August 4, 1986
Image 22Daisy Marie posing with a fan at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2008
Image 23American pornographic actor Ron Jeremy. One of top Porn Stars of All Time.
Image 24Katsuni - French pornographic actress.
Image 25Playboy Playmate Alison Waite
Image 26Playmate of the_Year Corinna Harney
Image 27Pierre Woodman filming in Australia
Image 28Michele_Merkin - Glamour photography
Image 29Tila Tequila
Image 30Playmate of the Year and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals spokesperson Pamela Anderson, signing DVDs at the USS Halsey
Image 31Swedish/Tanzanian Playmate of the Year Ida Ljungqvist
Image 32Pornographic DVDs, Japan, "Kawaii" section
Image 33Example of Erotic photography
Image 34World map showing laws of general pornography
Image 35Lisa Ann
Image 36Lupe Fuentes
Image 37Raylene
Image 38Carmen Luvana, Adult Entertainment Expo 2008
Image 39Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood
Image 40Pornographic film set. Pictured from left to right: Cali Chase, Mikey Butders, and a photographer identified as "Nicole."
Image 41Silvia Saint, wearing a Bomis tee-shirt (a site previously run by Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia).
Image 42The COLT Studio Group, San Francisco
Image 43Michael Lucas, Nonie, Rafael Alencar, David Shankbone, and Ernesta Alamirano in Fire Island Pines
Image 44Audrey Hollander - American porn star
Image 45Hentai style of art, originally from Japan
Image 46Cindy Margolis
Image 47Dana DeArmond
Image 48Transsexual pornographic actress Erica Andrews
Image 49Louise Glover
Image 50Playmate of the Year Claire Sinclair
Image 51Jessie Andrews

Slideshow of selected historical images

Image 1Shunga, Japan (ca 1750)
Image 2Traditional pederastic courtship scene on an Athenian black-figure amphora from the 5th century B.C.
Image 3Silenus and maenad. Tondo of an Attic red-figure kylix, ca. 480 BC. From Vulci, ancient Greece
Image 4Miniature from 15th century Persian book
Image 5A Mercury Priapus figure from Pompeii, ancient Rome
Image 6The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife, an erotic woodcut made circa 1820 by Hokusai.
Image 7Erotic art, 18th century India
Image 8Classical Greek Bas Relief showing "Cowgirl" position
Image 9Johann Nepomuk Geiger, watercolor, 1840
Image 10Nights of Horror, panel by Joe Shuster (public domain)
Image 11Erotic detail from the Vishwanath temple at the Khajuraho Group of Monuments
Image 12Kama Sutra illustration (19th century?)
Image 13Two Lovers, by Reza Abbasi.
Image 14Illustration from Juliette by the Marquis de Sade.
Image 15Nineteenth century nude photograph.
Image 16Hadrian engaging in anal sex with Antinous in Egypt, portrayed by Édouard-Henri Avril.
Image 17Roman oil lamp portraying intercourse
Image 18Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho, India, taken by User:Ggia
Image 19Indian Princess, by Richard Borrmeister [de] (1888?)
Image 20Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho
Image 21Erotic engraving supposedly after Agostino Carracci (1557–1602)
Image 22Katsushika Hokusai, "The Adonis Plant (Fukujusô)" Woodblock, ca. 1815, Japan Shunga
Image 23Erotic art, India, 18th century
Image 24Kama Sutra illustration (19th century?)
Image 25Illustration from La Grande Danse macabre des vifs, Martin van Maële (1905)
Image 26Kama Sutra illustration (19th century?)
Image 27Erotic scene. Rim of an Attic red-figure kylix, c. 510 BC., ancient Greece
Image 28Hokusai, Untitled (Plate No. 4) From the series Picture Book Patterns of Couples (Ehon tsui no hinagata), c. 1812
Image 29Hokusai, Untamed Lion, From the series Picture Book Patterns of Couples (Ehon tsui no hinagata), c. 1812
Image 30The Venus of Willendorf prehistoric sculpture
Image 31A rape scene by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (ca.1797-1861).
Image 32Cunnilingus portrayed at Pompeii - Source: John R. Clarke: Ars Erotica. Darmstadt: Primus 2009

Did you know (auto-generated) - load new batch

... that the 1980s were the "age of hole-discovery" in yaoi erotica?
... that zombie pornography emerged in the 1980s during a rise in the Italian sexploitation film industry?
... that John Wayne Bobbitt Uncut was the bestselling pornographic film of 1994 and had the most rentals that year in the United States?
... that Koh Masaki was one of the first gay pornographic film actors in Japan to openly appear in adult films without obscuring his identity?
... that the Japanese male–male romance magazine June was originally pitched to its publisher as a "mildly pornographic magazine for women"?
... that Aroha Bridge changed its name from Hook Ups because fans searching for the show often found pornography instead?
... that the 1983 pink film Beautiful Mystery was one of the earliest commercially produced gay pornographic films in Japan?
... that some viewers of an Arizona TV station saw hardcore pornography instead of the Super Bowl?