How to differentiate between pornography and erotic art

One of the doubts that usually arise around erotic art has to do with the limits that are drawn between this type of artistic proposal and pornography, because according to the position of some people this kind of art can easily pass to obscenity.

Beyond the foregoing, in order to resolve a doubt of this calibre, it is essential that we begin by working on the concepts of eroticism and then on pornography, since without this foundation we run the risk of making errors of interpretation.

The relationship between erotic art and pornography

As far as eroticism is concerned, it should be mentioned that people usually involve it with art, while pornography is almost automatically labeled in the corner of obscenity.

In spite of the above, we must begin by pointing out that art is a manifestation of human activity in which the real or imaginary is interpreted or captured by recourse to plastic, sound or linguistic resources. Seen in detail, erotic art insofar as it is limited to the above definition can be thought of in this way without any problem. Of course, erotic art differs from art in itself because it has a romantic and sexual sense.

As for pornography, the distinction is more complex because there is considerable openness to misinterpretations. In a strict sense it is a concept that alludes to genitality, to teaching sexual relations in an explicit way and in general to the viewer not having to resort to imagination.

The power of sexual instincts

Surely, both erotic art and pornography are two forms of exhibition of the sexed component of the human being, but the real difference between them corresponds to moral agreements at a given time and in a specific society.

From the previous discussion it should be presented as a conclusion that to talk about erotic art as a kind of pornographic demonstration everything depends. In other words, it will be the context itself and even the person in charge of launching this judgement that will be able to estimate whether it is pornographic content or erotic art. Of course, there will always be social agreements on a large scale, but that is another discussion.

In conclusion, erotic art can be placed on a fuzzy frontier which, insofar as an interpretation is exercised, can be classified as pornography or, failing that, as erotic art and nothing more. It is here then that the idea of relativity becomes present.