Naughty and erotic art and paintings have always been popular. Just look at how much the revered paintings of Gustav Klimt, and the scandalous but beloved – Fifty Shades of Grey novel (and now movie) by E.L. James have in common.
Beethoven Frieze (1902)
Although born in different times, James is on a similar wavelength as Klimt when it comes to sex. They both understand the connection between pleasure and pain: whether it’s enjoying whips and chains, or facing censure for painting your greatest passion; naked women.
Seduction at a Glance
Fifty Shades of Grey Poster (2015) – Judith (1901)
Desire, do you have it? Do you want it? Our heroines above definitely do. Anastasia, on the left, bites her lip to express it, cluing us in on her preference for a little pain with her pleasure, while Judith, on the right, conveys it with her eyes in Klimt’s soft style.
Sex with God
Danae (1908)
Being kinky in the bedroom is not a new phenomenon. Although James has made S&M a water cooler topic of conversation, Klimt is the real trailblazer when it comes to putting kink at the forefront of pop culture. Klimt was way ahead of Fifty Shades of Grey when he painted Danae en flagrante, aka in the middle of getting it on, with Zeus represented by the golden shower of rain. Klimt’s very conservative society was more shocked than we were after reading about what went on in Fifty Shades of Grey.
Let’s see how this genre develops in the hands of the next generation: but no matter its highs or lows, we will never get enough.
For more art and analysis by Gustav Klimt, click here.