17 June, 2008

Art or Porn?





Have a look at these ten pictures, and for each case answer one simple question: art, or porn?

http://film.guardian.co.uk/quiz/questions/0,5952,1196044,00.html

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"Just got into an argument about this and i wanted to hear some opinions.
The US government describes pornography as "Anything that causes sexual thoughts." I think that description is a little... well its a little too broad, esp. for photography. I mean we all know what blunt pornography is but where do "artistic nudes" turn into porn?"

forum on Digital Photography Review

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1018&message=23630592

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Another Forum on Yahoo

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061106194803AA6bXUR


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Exbibition "Hell at the Library, Eros in secret"

http://www.bnf.fr/pages/version_anglaise/cultpubl/exposition_731_eng.htm

The items, on display through March 22, are drawn from a permanent collection created in the 1830s when the library isolated works considered "contrary to good morals." They were put in a locked section with its own card catalogue and given the name L'Enfer — hell. Many pieces have been consigned there over the years by the police for safeguarding, perhaps, and posterity.

it includes hundreds of pornographic literary works, including those by Sade, photographs by Man Ray, audio excerpts recorded during coitus, silent pornographic black & white movies from 1921, and official historical documents such as a police report that lists all the houses of ill repute in Paris circa 1900, and what they charged for their services.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/17/arts/erotic.php

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Definitions

representation of sexual behaviour in books, pictures, statues, motion pictures, and other media that is intended to cause sexual excitement. The distinction between pornography (illicit and condemned material) and erotica (which is broadly tolerated) is largely subjective and reflects changing community standards. The word pornography, derived from the Greek porni (“prostitute”) and graphein (“to write”), was originally defined as any work of art or literature depicting the life of prostitutes.

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9060885/pornography


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