A sight of such beauty always brightens up a rainy day!
Daily Dose of Beauty
29 Monday Apr 2013
Posted in daily dose of beauty
Monthly Archives: April 2013
Art and Beauty
22 Monday Apr 2013
Ancient and modern erotic art intertwined…
What I often seek in the nudes I post here is a sense of balance and harmony. For my entire life, my aesthetic tastes have always leaned in the direction of a certain kind of restrained classicism. This is true even for my erotic tastes in art. Overly baroque, even grotesque depictions of sexuality do nothing for me, indeed, they even repulse me; but a calm and harmonious expression of sexual beauty is a wonderful thing. Most “porn” today is all too infused with the grotesque; it is rare to find something that has some sort of true aesthetic merit, although such erotica does exist. If you are willing to sift through the mounds of porn manure out there, you will eventually find some decent expressions of eroticism. But it takes time and work.
I like the above photo because it shows the beauty of an ancient sculpture contrasted with the beauty of a modern woman. Both are expressions of artistic merit. The one, however, the sculpture, bruised and damaged after two millennia, is perfectly acceptable in our society; the other, a woman disrobing, is generally not. What is the difference between the two? Outside of the fact that one is a flesh and blood woman, the other a piece of marble, I don’t see much of a difference. The very pose of the woman is quite classical in its balance, restraint, and harmony. Her body is nude, we see her natural curves and smooth skin, she is merely a woman, a creation of God, and yet for many in our society, especially those of a religious persuasion, this image is wrong, evil and decadent.
Again, as far as I am concerned good erotic art is just that, art. And good art is something worth promoting and defending in a free society.
What Is a Healthy Sexuality?
19 Friday Apr 2013
Themes and issues regarding sexuality and eroticism have always fascinated me…
I would like to think of this blog as a medley of sexual themes. Sexuality and eroticism are things that have always fascinated me. For instance, I often post photos of nude women; I might write some erotic pieces myself (although I do less of that now than before); I might post more explicit types of erotic photos; I like to explore the societal hypocrisy that often surrounds sexual issues. The relationship between religion, spirituality and sexuality also fascinates me. I like to link to sites that also explore sexuality. These are just a few of the various avenues of sexual discourse that I enjoy exploring on this blog. Of course my love for beauty is an overarching theme as well. To me, erotic beauty is a wonderful thing, worth pursuing and celebrating in various ways. I believe it is something that God gave us to enjoy.
But perhaps what is most important, what I strive for the most on this blog, is to ask and explore the question: what is a healthy sexuality. What I find most interesting about this question is that there is really no definitive answer. What is healthy for one person may be unhealthy for another. Unlike other health issues, such as diet, smoking or exercise, the same principles do not apply equally for everyone. Sexuality is by its nature extremely fluid, not only among individuals, but also among cultures, societies and throughout history. This makes sexuality a fascinating study for me. Not only is sexuality something deeply personal, but the broader, social implications of sex are endlessly intriguing.
So what is a healthy sexuality? The answer for me is, I really do not know. I can only answer for myself, and then perhaps come to a few conclusions in general about other people I know or have heard about or listened to. What I have also read and studied about sexuality adds to my knowledge, but not a whole lot. For myself, a healthy sexuality is being aware of your own sexual desires, understanding how they may be stronger or lesser than others (for me it is always the former), and what is the best way to incorporate those in your life. Because of my religious background and my spiritual longings, I have gone through periods where sex and sexual desires and practices were a bad thing. I tried to suppress them, control them, think of them as something evil to be kept in strong chains, as if they were dangerous beasts shackled in my basement. Given my deeply sexual nature, this only led to neurosis on my part. When I finally accepted my true self, when I finally recognized that my own sexuality was stronger and more powerful than most, and when I finally embraced it, my life improved and I gained a greater happiness. I also found my spiritual life improved as well. Health extended beyond the physical and into the spiritual
Porn or art? This is explicit, yes, but there is still much beauty expressed.
Others may chose to live less sexual lives. That is fine. Celibacy is certainly healthy for some. There are simply people whose sex drives are not all that great, who do not desire the pleasures of sexuality, or who possess little eroticism, if any at all. We find this particularly among the religious types. Androgyny is more vibrant in religious circles. At least that has been my experience. Unfortunately it is usually these types who tend to try to tell the rest of us that our sexual lives are bad and sinful. It is almost as if, feeling resentful about the enjoyment that others take in sex, they cannot stomach their own lack of sex and sexual desire, and try to project that upon others. That they have entire religious systems and traditions behind them only makes their arrogance all the worse. I believe this to be unhealthy.
Then there is the argument that all sex is reserved solely for marriage. I suppose this works for many, but not all. It is true that most of society needs the structure of monogamous marriage in order to propagate itself. But for me it was never appealing. For whatever reasons, I enjoy sexual variety, I need different experiences, and I have always understood that. Monogamy may be the norm for most people, but for those of us who have unusually strong sexual desires or who don’t fit into the paradigm of the traditional nuclear family, monogamous relationships are little more than an oppressive prison of desire. I also deeply desire my personal freedom. As one married woman I had an affair with once said, “You should understand how lucky you are to be able to come and go without having to answer to anyone. I wish I still had that.” Yes, she loved her husband, she said, but she still desired freedom and sexual exploration with others. One of the great pleasures of my life has been sharing that with various women who also felt the same way. A man can easily and with societal approval avoid the married life and enjoy sexual freedom and variety; it is more difficult for a woman. But what I know is that there are lots of women who also feel constrained by the married life, who desire to experience different sexual partners and pleasures outside the traditional bonds of marriage or even a monogamous relationship. And yet so many fear to do so…
Many women enjoy sexual variety as well, but are unable through societal restraints to explore that…that is, at least until they have met me.
Life is fascinating indeed.
Of course then you have those who, tortured by their own strong sexual desires but still disgusted at who they are, are always attempting to crusade against sex and eroticism, usually in the name of religion. They tend to be the most ferocious of the puritan types. They also tend to be the most self loathing. In addition, they tend to be the ones who are in secret engaging in some form of sexual behavior, despite their public, puritanical personas. In due time their own hypocrisy is usually exposed. If listened to, they can do a lot of harm to others. If left unchecked, they can do even more harm to those who trust in them and do not expect them to act out sexually. The Catholic Church is filled with such people, not only clergy but laity. The child sex abuse scandal is proof of that. I believe these types, with their public denouncement of all sexual practice outside of marriage as wrong, harmful and evil, are a particularly virulent form of unhealthy sexuality.
There was a time when younger that I was influenced by such types and their notions of extreme, ascetic self control and demonization of all sexual behavior. Fortunately for me I no longer listen to them. Again, my life is better because of that. It is healthier.
Is this smut? Is it art? Who decides? And why do so many think such an act, or the expression of such an act in writing, painting or photography, wrong? Again, to me there is much beauty here, the beauty of sharing orgasmic pleasures with another person.
So for me a healthy sexuality is understanding who you are, being comfortable in that, and exploring it in a safe way. Being extremely sexual does not necessarily mean unbridled explorations of sexual pleasure, although it can mean that at times. The deeply sexual person always need to be safe and careful, since there will always be the physical and psychological consequences of hyper sexuality. We know that all too well in this age of HIV. Rather, being extremely sexual is just that, being an extremely sexual person, and nothing more. What is healthy, at least for me, is embracing that, even celebrating that in whatever way you choose. Such celebrations of healthy sexuality are part of what this blog is all about.
Leda and the Swan: The Ancient and Erotic Greek Myth Still Stirs Controversy Today.
15 Monday Apr 2013
This photo reminds me of the famous Greek myth of Leda and the Swan.
After coming across this photo I was reminded of the ancient Greek myth of Leda and the Swan. As the story goes, Zeus desired Leda, the wife of the king of Sparta. He seduced her in the form of a swan on the same night that she slept with her husband and consequently she bore Zeus’ children, one of whom was Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world and the ultimate cause of the Trojan war. It is one of the more famous stories of classical mythology.
What is interesting about the Leda myth and its depiction in art is the inherent eroticism. From the Renaissance onwards, this story is about sex. As a matter of fact, the eroticism of this story is still controversial to this day. Last April, for instance, in London a piece of art work depicting the copulation of Leda and the Swan was forced by police to be removed: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/9232512/Mythical-swan-photo-taken-down-after-bestiality-fears.html They cited it as an example of bestiality, which is illegal in Britain.
And I thought the Victorians were prudish. As a matter of fact, the Victorians were less uptight about Leda and Swan artwork that then police in modern London. It was, after all, a favorite theme among the Victorians. Even Queen Victoria enjoyed nude artwork: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/7228202/Queen-Victorias-passion-for-nudity-goes-on-display-in-new-art-exhibition.html. But then again, I guess the Victorians found it more acceptable to view images of a swan fucking a woman than a man fucking a woman.
As we see with the London police incident as well as the neo-puritans in the U.S., the desire to remove all images and references to eroticism is still quite well and alive. For many religious and conservative types, all artistic expressions of sexuality and eroticism are bad, dirty and impure. I am always amused at just how uncomfortable so many people are with sexuality and eroticism, especially the artistic expression of such a basic part of our world. That is fine for them, if they want to avoid such things. But when they try to control the sex lives of the rest of us, when they try to deny us the right to enjoy such things, then it is time to fight back. To Tony Perkins, the Ayatollah Rick Santorum, Pat Roberston, and the other nut cases of the prudish right who crusade against such things, I can only say: Fuck you and go away.
There is a plethora of Leda and the Swan art pieces. Below I have shown a few throughout the ages, going all the way back to classical antiquity. This rich and significant historical tradition raises an interesting question for us today: how do we distinguish between “porn” and “art”? Some of the images below, such as those by Rubens or Cezanne are literally priceless. Others might get you fired from your job if found on your computer. Yet they are all sexual and erotic. Rubens’ work, again as an example, could be depicted as “bestiality” and therefore be deemed illegal under British law. Clearly, he is strongly suggesting that the swan is in fact copulating with Leda, which is of course the whole point of the story. So who decides if it is porn or art? Who decides whether it is permitted or forbidden? Some stupid cops? Some uptight soccer moms? Some crazy religious fanatics? Such questions continue to be interesting, and even humorous, if not dangerous. From Leonardo’s depiction of this myth to the London art gallery, it has and continues to be source of controversy.
Ancient mosaic from Cyprus, 3rd century AD. I have to say she does have a nice ass for an ancient mosaic.
This ancient Roman marble is a bit stiff and lifeless but the Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cucinelli of Virginia would still try to cover her breasts.
Cesare Sesto, after the lost original by Leonardo da Vinci. How I wish we still had this original! Leonardo is always fascinating.
Peter Paul Rubens, after the lost original by Michelangelo. Clearly, both Rubens and Michelangelo are strongly suggesting the actual act of copulation. Today they would be throw in jail in Britain for such things.
Sixteenth century marble, most likely inspired by Rubens’ work. Again, it is pure filth.
Paul Cezanne, 19th century. She seems uninterested, at least for now.
And finally, the scandalous work in the London art gallery banned by police in April of 2012!!! Hide your pure, holy and virgin eyes lest you be corrupted!!!
As we can see, each one of these hints at, if now outright celebrates, the sexuality of this story. It is a strange story, as most myths are. What is even stranger is that it would still be a source of controversy today.
The Eroticism of Spring Beauties
14 Sunday Apr 2013
This woman exudes fertility…
The arrival of Spring offers us many lovely sights. This is one of them. When we think of Spring, we think of fertility, the rebirth of life, the ancient cycles of passion and procreation that possess all creatures at this time. The world teems with new joys and energy. Sex seems to be everywhere.
This photo, luxuriating in the loveliness of her breasts and hips, reminds me of the basic earthiness of our existence. No matter what our technological sophistication, no matter how advanced we may think our civilization, we are still subject to the everlasting rhythms of this earth. We cannot escape our primal natures, no matter how hard we try. This is not to deny the spiritual and unseen component our lives, or that we should live like primitive peoples, but rather it is to humbly acknowledge our continued dependence on the world around us.
When I see a photo like this, I instinctively know what it means, what it suggests and beckons, and how much power the eroticism of life has over all of us. Her breasts and hips are also a testament to the older forms of female beauty that prevailed before the stick figures of modern aesthetics came about. I find these traditional images more attractive than the rather emaciated, androgynous notions of female beauty that are too often presented to us today. A image such as this overflows with the same sort of primal energy that fills each Spring day.
As we welcome the delights of Spring, so long live breasts, hips and the wonderful GNP, all reflections of the ancient and primal eroticism of rebirth and renewal.
P.S., for those who may not know, the GNP is “The Glorious Natural Pelt” otherwise known simply as “the bush”. And my older readers know how much I love the bush. Which reminds me, I think I need to write a new post sometime soon on the beauties of the bush. One is long overdo. I am after all a stalwart advocate of the traditional bush on a woman.
Daily Dose of Beauty
13 Saturday Apr 2013
Posted in daily dose of beauty
A nice photo…
Just a nice image for today. I particularly enjoy the play of skin, light and fabric. The sheer, delicate textile of her garment only enhances the beauty of her breasts. When I see an image like this, I wonder how many people would consider this porn? How many art? It is impossible to say. I would hope most would see the artistic merits of this photo and not summarily dismiss it as “porn” and therefore bad and worthy to be suppressed. Rather, it is worthy to be viewed with pleasure as a pleasant depiction of female beauty.
The Beauty of Nature: The Landscapes of Claude Lorraine
11 Thursday Apr 2013
Landscape with Apollo Guarding the Herds of Admetus and Mercury stealing them
Claude Lorraine (1600-1682) was a French painter most well known for his beautiful landscapes. I have always enjoyed his works. As winter has now finally retreated to its icy abodes for the next six months (at least in my neck of the woods), leaving us with the joys, warmth and wonders of an incipient spring and summer, and as nature begins to blossom into her full beauty, I am often reminded of the lovely and magical landscapes of Lorraine. If ever there was a painter of both vernal and aestival joys, it was Lorraine. As a matter of fact, so popular were his paintings in eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that tourists, travelers and fellow painters, especially in England, would often use something called a “Claude glass”, a type of mirror through which someone might view a natural setting. The Claude glass created a sort of Claude Lorraine like hue to the scene: a soft, almost humid atmosphere, imbued with shady and shimmering light, peppered with both natural and man made enticements.
The best way to describe a Claude Lorraine landscape is to think of a hot summer day somewhere in the Southern U.S. There is a certain quality to the Southern summer which is hard to describe: beyond the often oppressive heat, the air is filled with moisture, and a kind of serene calmness pervades everything as life seems to slow down, magically and inexorably, beneath a blanket of warmth, shade, sun and chattering Cicadas. The rich vegetation of the Southern climate also creates a panorama of green life and brilliant floral patterns spread among the many trees and flowers. Although originally from New England, I now reside in a Southern state, and the South in the summer is truly a delightful place to be. Most people hate the heat. I like it. As I like to tell people, unlike snow, you don’t have to shovel humidity.
The painting above is a nice example of Lorraine’s work. It contains both natural beauty, such as the trees, the water, the clouds and the distant, misty horizon, but it also depicts man made adornments, such as the old bridge and castle in the background. In many ways this mixture of natural and human elements in a evocative natural environment is a precursor to the 19th century Romantic love of nature and old, man made ruins. Claude also adds some Classical depth to this landscape: we see the story of Apollo, playing the violin, unaware that Hermes is stealing his cattle. The addition of cattle makes the scene all the more pastoral, while maintaining its mythological, and therefore unreal essence.
Perhaps the following quote describes best Claude Lorraine’s paintings. It is by John Constable, the great British romantic landscape painter, who describes Claude as, “the most perfect landscape painter the world ever saw”, and says of his landscapes:
all is lovely – all amiable – all is amenity and repose; the calm sunshine of the heart
The painting below is pure pastoral: a shepherd with his flock. I love the play of light, the golden mellow atmosphere, the peace and calm of a lovely summer day. To experience such things both through art and nature, through aesthetics as well as life itself, is indeed a blessing. This painting does capture such delights, what Constable called, “the calm sunshine of the heart”.
There a few things better to do on a mellow summer’ day than this…
Nature is a beautiful thing. And painters who devoted themselves to depicting the beauty of nature have always been among my favorite. Just as I find a painting or photo of a nude woman to be beautiful, so too do I find the magical landscapes of artists such as Claude Lorraine examples of beauty.
Daily Dose of Beauty
08 Monday Apr 2013
Posted in daily dose of beauty, eroticism
A classy yet primal view of the erotic…
This is a nice photo. I like how it accentuates the woman’s back and behind. I particularly enjoy how the silver light and shadows play on her lovely body, her smooth, taut skin and sensuous curves seemingly blending into the crisp sheets and sunlit walls. It is a clean and sharp view of nude beauty. Although taking a woman from behind is often one of the most primal and delightful ways of sex, and this photo certainly suggests that, there is a calm, classical beauty to this image. It is almost as if this photo is telling us in a not so subtle way that beneath the air of sophistication in our world, our pretense to self control, we know our more primal instincts are still lurking, always there, always to be reckoned with. No matter how civilized we seek to become, we still must display and even indulge our hidden, animal natures.
The Beautiful Eroticism of Spring
06 Saturday Apr 2013
Posted in beauty, eroticism, spirituality, women
Spring is truly the best time of the year for beauty…
Now, in my part of the world, Spring is finally returning. After a rather long and cold winter, the resumption of spring is a wonderful thing. Spring is truly the happiest time of the year. Life is renewed, warmth returns, and we can look forward to beginning of months and months of nice, sunny weather, outdoor activities, and the general good cheer that sun and warmth brings about. After the recent events in my life, this spring is going to be especially enjoyed.
Of course, with the arrival of spring comes much beauty. There is not only the beauty of nature, blossoming trees and flowers, the songs of birds in the early morning, the smell of green grass, the soothing pleasures of a warm breeze, just to name a few, but there is of course the beauty of a seemingly dormant eroticism once again spreading over our world.
For me, as a man, I love the sights of women in spring. There is something so intoxicating about the suddenly less clothed females wandering about after a long winter. It is as if love and sex are in the air, as if an ancient and eternal mating ritual is starting all over again and the primal urges we all feel as earthly men and women spring up and overwhelm our beings. We suddenly see smalls hints of sexuality here and there: a low cut blouse, a pair of well fitting jeans or tights, a short and flimsy dress caressing a soft and curvaceous body. My being becomes so highly charged sexually during the spring it is hard to describe. All I can say is that I am glad I have the freedom to enjoy the erotic pleasures of spring as fully and completely as I can. Incapable of monogamy and driven all my life to live in freedom, not wanting to be tied down to one person or place, not wanting to be trapped in a potentially stifling yet socially approved marital situation, I find spring offers many rich delights indeed and feeds my deep need for sexual and erotic variety. Although I do need sex every day and I love the variety of different women, women who, like me, also enjoy sexual variety, mind you, this does not mean necessarily bedding various women; but rather, it simply means freely enjoying the various and often quiet, subtle ways eroticism manifests itself in our world. Sex may or may not always come with that.
Vernal beauty and primal eroticism are an ancient and powerful force in our world…
Yes, how I love women. I love women and beautiful women. I love exploring the sexuality and eroticism of women. I love how spring brings these wonderful mysteries of our world out in full, announcing to us all that it is time once again to enjoy life, both the sights and sounds and pleasures of all that life can bring. Life is after all the glorious and beautiful creation of God. And for me, erotic pleasures are one of the most wonderful gifts God has given this world.
Rumi and the Beauty of Erotic Love
04 Thursday Apr 2013
Good art and poetry can truly capture the beauty of erotic love…
Lovers find secret
places inside this
violent world
where they make
transactions with
beauty.
I found this nice little poetic tidbit from the always interesting Forgetful Muse:http://forgetfulmuse.tumblr.com/. Check out her site. An old blogger friend of mine, she posts a lot of nice images, poetry and her own personal observations on life, especially spiritual matters. This particular poem is from the great Persian poet, Rumi, who lived between 1207-1273. Persia, now known as Iran, is an ancient country with a long and rich cultural tradition. Rumi is considered the greatest of all Persian poets, and even today in Iran, his birthday is a national holiday. Unlike most Americans, who could not tell the difference between Shakespeare and Walt Whitman, Rumi is well known by most Iranians today. Ask anyone of Persian descent living in the West who Rumi is, and most likely they will be able to tell you. The West once had a rich poetic culture that infused most of life, but sadly that has been largely lost. It is nice to see that some societies, even those that I would consider as dangerous and hostile as Iran, continue to preserve their great poetic heritages.
The great Persian poet Rumi, 1207-1273.
Again, the fusion of beauty and eroticism is as old and universal as anything in this world. This small poem on erotic love and beauty by a Persian poet and Muslim Sufi mystic who lived 800 years ago is a testament to that.
The Chase 