Can Porn be Art?

[tzimize]

I dont think all porn is art, but it CAN be art. In my opinion anything can be art.

I'd go as far as to say the opening scenes of Antichrist was pornographic, and most definately artistic.

Dictionary.com defines pornography as among other things "obscene writings, drawings, photographs, or the like, esp. those having little or no artistic merit." What has little artistic merit I really cant tell for sure, as it is possible for one person i.e. me to see art in the opening scenes of Antichrist and for another person to see only garbage.

So. In conclusion, porn as everything else CAN be art, but not all porn IS art.
Imo.

 

[Zeekar]

To be coldly objective from an aesthetic viewpoint, art is anything man-made (or let's just say intentionally made for believers out there) that can be judged (critiqued or what have you) on the merits of it's inherent artistic beauty/value. In other words, art -can- be either good or bad.

For all intents and purposes, you can (even if no one will) judge a porno by it's artistic merits -- if you couldn't, we wouldn't be having this discussion. We can also say that it's man-made, so yes, porn is art; and by the values of my first statement on art, it'd be categorized as typically bad art.

Whether or not you believe in my philosophy is neither here nor there; it still covers all the bases. Some porn can be very well done artistically, so we could call it art while gauging it against other art. Most porn would stand up poorly against other art, which would be to the satisfaction of people who don't believe that porn is art at all. Everyone wins!

And isn't that what we really want? Go forth, have some fap with your pretentiousness!

 

[LWS666]

porn can't be art, art CAN be porn though.

 

[Cynical skeptic]

Porn isn't art because it has never set out to be art.

You realize that excludes pretty much all music? Including all classical works?

 

[the Dept of Science]

The word "Pornography", when used by a critic, generally means that the peice has little or no merit beyond indulgences of the basest pleasures. For example, Hostel was described as "toture porn".
Although, some things that were initially dismissed as "pornography", but are now held up as great works of art. For example, Nabokov's Lolita is generally considered one of the greatest peices of literature of the past century.

I think the point I am grasping towards is that if porn was art, then it wouldn't be porn. It would be "erotic art" or something like that.

 

[SovietSecrets]

Perhaps. Yet since we all know 95% of the time everyone is faking it, I would have to go with no. If one of you can find me a porn scene thats real, I will say its art.

I dunno, I'm pretty sure that chap is sticking his- yep there he goes, its real...

Well for the guy it might be good, but I was mostly talking bout the girl.

 

[Mechanix]

I don't watch porn to distinguish if it is art or not, I watch porn for other reasons.

 

[maxben]

We all know that porn can have artistic elements to it, and one would not be hard pressed to find naked ladies in a mueseum, but can porn be art and vice versa?

Its my opinion that the two occupy fundamentally different mind sets. One has a definite goal in viewing pornography, while in art, the experience is typically much looser and undefined. The second a porn shows you something that causes you to step back and introspect, can it truly be called a porn any more?

I suppose what I'm asking you, the escapist, is whether or not I can fap to the Mona Lisa.

The question is, can art be porn?
Can somthing the majority of experts label art but is also sexually explicit turn you on?
If yes, than I would say its a two-way street and its both art and porn.

 

[tthor]

i think so, (but then again, if it were art, i then wouldn't call it porn)
the female body is a beautiful thing, even in a non-sexual way

EDIT: after actually READING the OP comment, i would say no, i don't think porn and art could be truly interchangeable,

 

[Ekonk]

Lolque. I don't think so.

 

[Azriel Nightshade]

porn can't be art, art CAN be porn though.

Mind=blown
Pun intended

 

[wkrepelin]

Nudity and even sex can be art but I think, kind of by definition, if it's art it's not porn and vice versa.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

Well...

http://funnyexam.com/answers/1599-i-must-say-this-is-not-a-h

Damn funny papers on Two Girls One Cup aside, I don't really think pornography itself is art. Art can certainly contain pornographic elements to make its point, but when somebody sets out to make art they do it to make somebody understand a certain perspective, or at least feel a certain emotion. When they set out to make porn, they do it so people will pay to masturbate to it.

 

[Byr0m]

I'm not sure this is the greatest idea posting this but, IMO, certain sites have some excellently drawn artwork that has a certain degree of pornography. When you actually see how much some of them demand for commissions ($500+ for some) and actually think how much skill would be required to draw that on photoshop/(insert drawing program here) or even by hand for some, I would say its definitely art.

However, actually treating it as art though...

 

[AyrSuppli]

http://funnyexam.com/answers/1599-i-must-say-this-is-not-a-h

XD You totally made my day, man.

 

[Atomic Yazzy]

The female body is a beautiful thing, even in a non-sexual way

Agreed.

 

[similar.squirrel]

I suppose so. In much the same way that a particularly talented prostitute could be considered an artist or performer.

It's how I see it, anyway. Gastronomic art exists, and that's to do with taste.

Problem is, it's mostly bad art.