Erotic artworks

Erotic Art Photography

Erotic art is undoubtedly a medium for expression. It takes tremendous skill and finesse to present the nude figure in the best light without being too crass or explicit. Experience the titillating and inspiring world of artistic nude photography with LUMAS. Depicting the naked in the traditional artistic form of the nude is one of photography’s major preoccupations.

Varieties of Erotic Art Photography

Nude photography enjoys an ever-improving reputation as societal attitudes change. The genre itself is characterized by aesthetic poses and the bold use of color or light and shadow. These attributes of the art form are expressed particularly strongly in our black-and-white art prints.


Throughout the history of western and global art, an interest in the themes of love and erotica has always played a central role. This is evidenced in paintings containing allusions to the erotic, encoded in symbols which recast sexual desires, sometimes coupled with a mystical longing into symbolic languages. Until the invention of photography in the early 19th century, the nude was generally depicted in oil paintings on canvas that drew on religious, mythological, and historical themes. Today, erotic art exists in the widest possible variety of media: canvas prints, posters, holography, sculpture, photography, and even wall tattoos.


Erotic art can be subdivided into two categories: the nude and the semi-nude. In nude photography, the subject is, as the name suggests, completely naked. This is the most traditional type of nude photography. In semi-nude art, by contrast, the model is partially clothed or covered through the use of accessories or objects.

Subjects and Themes of Erotic Art

The allure of bare skin is the heart of erotic art photography. Women are very often featured in these pictures. The fascination with femininity goes far beyond pure eroticism. However, it has just as much to do with the aura of the model as well as the artistic staging of the female form. Fashion photography is a highly stylized (and highly commercialized) tributary of the traditional nude - in which critics allege women's bodies in particular are indistinguishable from the product.


In female nude photography, women often symbolize empathy, security, sensuality, or passion. Of course, nude photos of male figures can also be found in the LUMAS collection. The male nude is no less an object of fascination, and is an equally venerable artistic subject. The male erotic form symbolizes for viewers a different set of ideas and emotions. Their hard contours and their vulnerable presentation symbolizes strength and trust.

Erotic Photo Art: A Play of Light and Shadow

Erotic art is often confused for that which its subject matter is believed to directly imply: sex. While that isn't untrue, there is another reason that erotic photographers choose to work with the nude. The human body is an ideal springboard to the exploration of natural beauty and the novel possibilities opened up by the medium of photography.


Erotic photography uses intense contrasts, or chiaroscuro, to elevate the gracefulness of its subjects. It draws upon the captivating interplay between light and shadow.


In the late 1940s, Heinrich Heidersberger created an iconic series of photos called Dress of Light. He projected dots and striped patterns onto his models. In this way, he was able to present nude women without exposing them entirely. Following in this tradition, French video artist Dani Olivier uses digital projectors to create mesmerizing patterns on the skin of his subjects. This gives the subjects a hypnotizing, sculptural appearance.

Finding the Right Room for Your Erotic Photography

There are several factors that will determine where a piece of art will truly shine. Nude photographs are especially popular in bedrooms, because the art and the room have a common trait: intimacy. Less provocative images and semi-nudes can also be suitable for living rooms.


That said, the effect a particular piece will have is largely dependent on the artist’s intentions, and is also subject to interpretation. While some artworks are meant to focus on the simple allure of a person's au naturel, others are conceived to be provocative. Thinking about what the picture expresses and what it means to you can go a long way in helping you determine the best place to hang it!

Erotic Photography

Our page on bedroom art contains a wealth of suggestions on how to choose art for your bedroom. Size, color, tone, and theme all matter a great deal, especially the effect these factors have on the feng shui of a room, in other words, where the light and energy of a room are directed, and whether it makes a room or set of rooms feel closed off or connected.


Erotic art photos can be particularly difficult to harmonize within a greater concept for your home atmosphere. The nude is by definition titillating and displacing: the bedroom is a place of calm. Works by Rebecca Horn and by the duo Jaime Travezan and David Tortora provide and create this harmony, abstracting away from the nude form to get at the pure aesthetic principles it represents.


The famous photographs by Jock Sturges take you on a journey to an entirely different time and place. These calm, moving photographs are prefectly suited as living room art, as they invite you to use your imagination, and turn your living room wall into a lense through which a different time and place can be expressed.

Signed and Numbered Erotic Photography from LUMAS

Lumas specializes in matching fine art to your rooms. Browse our collection online and discover our large and varied selection of works. Our portfolio includes everything from museum-sized and large format artworks to small pieces, triptychs, panoramas, and more. Our photographic prints are face-mounted on durable acrylic glass for extra protection against dust, grime, and humidity. This is a truly high-end alternative to the poster prints or foam core prints offered by many brands.


Our entire collection of art prints are framed pictures available as Limited Editions or Open Editions. Limited-edition prints are numbered and hand-signed by the artist. Because there is a set print run (usually 75-150), the value increases as more prints are sold. This separates our portfolio from the mass-produced canvas prints made by various manufacturers.


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