Especially from the traditional Western perspective, Erotica in Religion & Spirituality would seem to be a contradiction. In Christianity, the erotic is identified with the base, carnal, and profane; while the spiritual is thought to be devoid of sexuality. Upon deeper examination, however, it becomes evident that sex is at the very core of our spiritual beliefs. Our perception and attitudes about reproduction shape our image of the Creator, and most religions prescribe codes intended to regulate sexual behavior and thought. Many faiths also possess esoteric doctrines concerning the mysteries of sex, such as Tantra in Buddhism and Hinduism, although some might be more veiled than others. But even the Bible contains a masterpiece of erotic poetry, the Song of Solomon. In this section we will explore the confluence of these most powerful forces in the life of humankind.

Erotic performance has ancient historical and mythological roots, from the striptease of Ame-no-Uzume which lured the sun goddess from her cave in Japanese legend, to Salome’s famed dance of the seven veils. Attendees of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago were both shocked and delighted when Little Egypt introduced the sensuous “belly dance” to American audiences. For decades the burlesque or “hoochie-choochie” show was a mainstay of traveling carnivals, eventually giving way to the modern “gentleman’s club”. Although differing from most other forms of erotica by not being fixed in a tangible medium, this art form undeniably occupies a significant place in the history and culture of erotic expression.

This section complements the section on Erotica in Popular Culture, for although the prominence of erotica is well-established in modern society, it remains subject to continued legal wrangling and controversy. In the United States, puritan heritage clashes with capitalist drive in the highly popular and profitable arena of erotic arts and entertainment. Local, state, and federal authorities periodically flex their muscles with new laws and enforcement efforts against consumers, retailers, distributors, and producers of erotic content, especially in high-visibility cases that serve political agendas. Recent efforts to curtail “indecency” on broadcast airwaves, home video, and the Internet illustrate this trend. Meanwhile, production and consumption of erotica flourishes unabated, proving that it is difficult to quash what is so cherished by so many. This section examines various government efforts to control the proliferation of erotica, both past and present.

In spite of governmental efforts to control it, erotica enjoys a prominent place in popular culture. Hardcore adult entertainment is becoming less and less marginalized as porn becomes increasingly visible in society due to its widespread popularity. Mainstream bookstores like Borders and Barnes & Noble have large sections devoted to erotic literature and photography. Broadcast and cable television caters to the public fascination for sex by featuring "exposes" brimming with erotic content, while prime-time shows and commercials often incorporate erotic themes. Movies such as Boogie Nights, Rated X, and Inside Deep Throat illustrate the significant impact of erotica on popular culture; the popularity of these movies also serves as a barometer of public interest today. This section examines the role that erotica has played and continues to play in shaping and influencing popular culture.

The pervasive demand for erotic entertainment has always fueled the development and adoption of new visual media, from Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope to VHS, DVD, and the Internet. All of these technologies owe much of their early success to erotic subjects. Consider:

• The first motion pictures, featuring scantily-clad dancers and the infamous May Irwin Kiss, played in peep-show parlors throughout America beginning in 1894.
• The first x-rated feature film, Deep Throat, became the most profitable movie in history, and launched the modern adult film industry in 1972.
• X-rated videotapes were largely responsible for the initial success of the home VCR, introduced in 1975. VHS won out over the higher-quality Beta format in part because Sony refused to license Beta for adult content.
• Adult productions were the first to take advantage of advanced DVD capabilities such as multiple angles, multiple timelines, and interactivity. Anticipating the extinction of VHS, most of the major adult studios now release on DVD only.
• The adult film and video industry releases approximately 11,000 titles per year, about 3 times the number of movies released by Hollywood, and generates approximately $6 billion in revenue from erotic video sales and rentals via retail, mail order, Internet, and pay-per-view offerings in the United States alone.

This section explores the phenomenon of erotic film and video as it has developed over the last century or so.

The nude and the erotic have been subjects of photography since its inception. The inventor of the daguerreotype, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, produced the first photographic image of a female nude in 1839. Since then, erotic themes have taken root in photography as one of the most popular and enduring modes of artistic expression. This section is dedicated to the art of erotic photography throughout the history of the medium, from the earliest black & white images to cutting-edge digital technology.

Before the development of home video and the Internet, the most popular medium for the dissemination of erotica to the public was the “adult” or “men’s” magazine. Due to the significant role played by magazines in the evolution of mass-market erotica and related cultural trends, we have dedicated this section of the site to focus exclusively on this phenomenon.

Humanity has a rich tradition of erotic literature that dates back thousands of years, from the earliest recorded hymns of ancient Sumeria to a myriad of modern offerings available today. This section focuses on erotic expression through the medium of the written word.

The term "erotic art" encompasses a wide range of subjects and modes of expression. Broadly speaking, erotic art includes traditional pictorial and tangible representations as well as literature, photography, film and video; however, given the distinctive characteristics of the latter, they have each been given separate sections of their own. This section focuses on works executed in classical media such as drawing, painting, sculpture, and so forth, both historical and contemporary.

Erotica has existed ever since mankind began creating works of artistic representation. Numerous depictions of sexual subjects have been found in cave drawings, carvings, and figurines from a wide range of prehistoric cultures. Erotic themes in painting, sculpture, literature, and performance have flourished around the world ever since. This trend has continued unabated in modern media such as photography, video, and the Internet, with unprecedented global distribution. Judging from its popularity and ubiquity throughout history, erotica is undeniably an important feature of human culture.

Most civilizations have, at various times, either embraced or condemned the proliferation of sexual media. Many societies display a characteristic ambivalence to erotica; while it may be nominally proscribed by civil and/or religious authorities, it remains extremely popular and is widely produced and consumed (such as in Victorian England and present-day America). This peculiar condition and the controversy that inevitably results tends to ensure the prominence of sexual issues in public discourse, thus providing a rich source of data about a society’s attitudes pertaining to sex.

Meanwhile, analyzing the content of the erotic work itself can yield considerable information about the aesthetic tastes and predilections of its intended audience. When produced for mass consumption, such material reflects the interests of the popular imagination and the desires of a society projected from within the private sphere. Emerging fields of study such as sexual archaeology are now beginning to recognize the significance of erotica in contributing to a greater understanding of human history and culture.

This section features significant works of erotic expression as they exist throughout the world today. All of the artifacts presented here may be viewed where they currently reside in museums, historical sites, or in situ. This provides us with the opportunity to explore their cultural and historical significance, as well as to observe how they are regarded in their contemporary context. To explore further, click on the desired topic below.