Anyone who has watched Indian movies from the eras that preceded the 90s would know that scripts had clear demarcations for every character and they never overlapped. The bad ones remained villains, the hero never lost sight of his nobility, and the women were pretty angels who cooked and loved. So, who took care of the Indian audience’s thirst for lust? The vamp, of course! This femme fatale wore bright red lipstick and glittering, provocative clothes and typically appeared for just one jiggly dance to entertain cigar-smoking mafia dons and their henchmen in a sleazy club. This was absolutely necessary to ensure that every aspect of the audience’s yearnings was tackled. This distinction also undoubtedly made sure that passion never stepped on the toes of the virtuous and always remained on the fringes, ready to titillate when needed.
Art, though, has never been bound by such compartments. The heroines could dance, strip, or seduce. Depictions of nudity and sexual activities have never been taboo in art from time immemorial. The Venus of Willendorf, a small sculpture dating back to 30,000 years ago, is not just nude but has exaggerated sexual features, probably portraying female fertility. Phallus sculptures too abound in several cultures and the intention was certainly not eroticism. Artefacts with images of explicit heterosexual sex have been discovered in ancient Mesopotamia. The Turin Erotic Papyrus created in 1500 BC and referred to as the world’s first men’s mag, is the only erotic scroll painting to have survived from ancient Egypt.
No material surface or object was spared by our ancestors. Ceramics were painted with sexual scenes in ancient Greece, many of them even illustrating same-sex relationships, walls were filled with sensual themes in ancient Rome and explicit scenes were sculpted on pottery by the ancient people of Peru. South Asian and Eastern cultures too patronised eroticism in art. We have our very own Khajuraho sculptures as testimony. In ancient Japan, erotic painted handscrolls called Shunga became very popular. Shunga believed in the positivity of physical intimacy and focused on enjoyment. It was soon banned in Japanese society by 1700.
The Europeans were surely not to be left behind. Catherine II, the Empress of Russia, went a step further and had erotic furniture made to adorn her palace! From cabinets to tables with legs that resembled private body parts, she stopped at nothing, not even the walls. By the 20th century, photography slowly took over and naked portraits were sought after. By the 1970s, the Women’s Liberation Movement led to a sexual revolution where the male gaze in art was challenged and women artists altered the narrative of erotic art by using their own nude bodies to express desire. In contemporary times too, artists do not shy away from eroticism. Indian artist T Venkanna’s graphic depictions of sexuality and eroticism have many takers.
Art has always been a means to express the varied emotions that make up human existence and lustfulness has always been a defining one. Moral watchdogs may find it worthy of boycotts and bans, but it is worthwhile to remember that art history proves that vulgarity lies in the mind of the beholder.