Art To Warm Up Those Cold Winter Nights: Part 1

My manuscript for "101 Iconic Erotic Artworks from Ancient to Contemporary Times" is complete. In an attempt to distract and disrupt my readers, the art lovers, from the brooding, chilly winter, I will post a snippet from each 101 entry, every day. The flurries may be falling outside, but the steam will be rising from your screen. 

Here comes number one: 
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Titian, Venus of Urbino, 1538, oil on canvas, Uffizi, Florence

(Photo Courtesy of Google Art Project)

Our Venus reclines on a chaise lounge holding a posy of roses in her right hand whilst her left hand is gently curled around her genitals. The unapologetic and gentle graphicness of this image can allow the viewer to enter the metaphysical zone of autoeroticism.  At Venus’ request, her ladies in waiting are searching for something in the wedding chest so that our beautiful ‘goddess’ can have a moment to herself. There is a sense of urgency vis a vis the dichotomy of the private versus the public. A curtain just barely separates Venus from the background, so that she can carry on with her self-pleasure. The curtain also serves as a theatrical backdrop for the viewer’s enjoyment of the performance.

Titian’s painting did not appease all viewers, however. Mark Twain cited that the picture was “the foulest, the vilest, the obscenest picture the world possesses” and that “it was painted for a bagnio, and it was probably refused because it was a trifle too strong.” (1880 travelogue A Tramp Abroad).

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Hope you enjoyed this warm winter interlude. More to come tomorrow...