Art In the Profane

*Disclaimer for Content :

Please be advised that this blog post discusses sexual topics. The content is intended for a mature audience and may not be suitable for all readers. Reader discretion is advised.*

"For the good which I would I do not, but the evil which I would not that I practice.." - Romans 7:19, ASV

Dichotomy, Part the Second, second panel of a diptych - 18 x 24 oil on canvas, 2009

These were the Apostle Paul’s words to the first century Christian congregation in Rome, and they encapsulate the very essence of human nature - we are flawed, imperfect beings. We desire to do what is right, but many times we find ourselves doing the very opposite.

In the previous post, I explored how art can be used - in this case through cathedral design - to express the sacred and the piousness of human nature and how we can aspire to the divine.

But of course, there is another side to mankind - a baser more carnal side.

I’ve also explored this theme in my own art and poetry - pondering not only how both the divine and debase can exist not just in humanity as a whole, but often times simultaneously in the same individual.

In point of fact, just as mankind has often sought out divinity through art, history is rife with examples of the opposite- art that often depicts the more perverse elements of human nature. Humanity’s dark side is rife with iniquity-greed, violence, etc. But for the purpose of this discussion, I’ll only be exploring one aspect of human nature that often succumbs to the dark side-sexuality.

Our first stop on the tour of carnality takes us all the way back to the Paleolithic era with the so-called Venus of Willendorf

The Venus of Willendorf is a four-inch figurine found during an archeological dig in 1908 near the Austrian village of Willendorf. It’s considered to be an early fertility deity, and the exaggerated sexual features of the figurine would seem to lend credence to that view.

Currently referred as the ‘Woman of Willendorf’ by some modern scholars, it’s actually one of many ‘Venus’ figurines to survive from Paleolithic-era Europe.

Despite being a highly sexualized figure, the Venus of Willendorf isn’t considered an example of erotic art per se. But plenty of examples from history abound. One such well known example is the art of Kama Sutra.

Collage of erotic sculptures including some figurines from Khajuraho Temple- The so-called Kama-Sutra temple

The writing of Kamasutra is credited to Indian philosopher Vatsyayana Mallanga who is said to have lived between anywhere between the 1st and 6th century C.E.

As you can see, not a lot is known about this guy, but what is known about the Kamasutra is that it isn’t just a manual on sex positions; it's a treatise on living well and a collection of poetry, and sex just happens to be one of the many facets of life it explores.

The Khajuraho Temple, also known as the ‘Kamasutra Temple,’ located in Madhya Pradesh, India, features many erotic sculptures that people often associate with the Kamasutra.

Although the Kamasutra isn’t solely concerned with sexual matters, the modern perception is that all it depicts is pornographic sex when in fact, as mentioned above, it’s so much more. Could this perception be because we as a society are so overly sexualized? Perhaps.

A form of art that is popular nowadays is Manga art. Manga is a Japanese comic form, often done in graphic novel style. Doujinishi, also Japanese, refers to a doujin "group" self-publishing manga, anime, or games. Nothing's wrong with any of these on the face of it. But like any other media form out there, manga/doujins can become highly sexualized.

Of course, the examples depicted here are quite tame compared to what you may see during a quick internet search. But make no mistake, even though many of these images are primarily of eastern origin, they are highly consumed in our over-sexualized western culture.

At this point, I think it would probably be a good idea to talk about how the pious and the profane can indeed exist in the same person and how sexual potency, lust, and desire can be channeled in healthy, constructive ways through a process called sublimation. In this context, sublimation refers to a psychological defense mechanism by which a person may channel unwanted sexual tendencies into behaviors and habits that are more ‘acceptable’ in our culture.

I was directly using sublimation when I painted the diptych Dichotomy, parts First and Second.

Dichotomy Part the First, 18x24 oil on canvas

Sublimation is used heavily in my own creative process. It's often said that sexual energy, when properly channeled, transforms into the energy of creation. History offers numerous examples of artists, whether consciously or not, employing sublimation in their work. A well-known quote attributed to Pierre-Auguste Renoir, for instance, suggests he metaphorically painted "with his cock," implying a deliberate use of sublimation in his artistic endeavors.

Bathers enjoy a playful moment by the water in Renoir's "Bathers Playing with a Crab," circa 1897, showcasing the artist's vibrant use of color and fluid brushstrokes.

Sexual sublimation can be found in written word as well as in visual media. Perhaps the Apostle Paul called upon sublimation when he penned the follow-up to the above scriptural verse at Romans 7: 23, 24: “…I see in my body another law warring against the law of my mind and leading me captive to sin’s law that is in my nembers. Miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body undergoing this death?”

I’ve also been know to use poetry to channel some of my baser drives. One example is this poem I wrote some years ago - The Other Side of Desire:

They tell me what I feel is wrong,

But what I feel is oh, so strong.

Burning my soul like a roaring fire,

And taking me to the other side of desire.

Lust of the flesh

I must over-cum,

And pummel my body

‘Til it grows numb.

Yet I remain a man,

With a man’s needs.

So at last to the flesh,

I give heed.

A man who says otherwise,

I call liar.

Often they go,

To the other side of desire.

I long for soft lips,

A gentle touch;

A sweet fragrance

And roundness of hips.

Yet at last I resist,

And travel no higher.

For now I am safe,

From the other side of desire.

Dichotomy, parts First and Second

So there you have. Art in the Pious, and Art in the Profane. Two sides of the coin, like Yin and Yang.

So in the next one for something completely different.