ARTFUL PORN: CUM ART, REFINED

ARTFUL PORN is a remarkable blog. "Searching for beauty in a world of smut" is its slogan. It presents XXX as erotic, intelligent and artistic, raising the bar for sophistication in masturbation. We are privileged to bring you an interview with ARTFUL PORN's editor and founder. Enjoy! CMN: What is 'Artful Porn', and what motivated you to start a blog on the subject? PATRICK, EDITOR/FOUNDER OF ARTFUL PORN: Artful Porn is a collection of beautiful sexually explicit imagery that, in my opinion, has some artistic merit or intrinsic value. It's the sort of erotica that carries a sex-positive message that is not so much lustful, but loving - both in the depiction of sex and in the pornography's production. Why did I start the blog? At the start, I just wanted to share this unique art with the world. Viewing art porn completely changed my opinion on pornography and erotica, and perhaps sexuality itself and wouldn't it be great if I could show others the beauty side of porn? CMN:How long have you been doing the blog?Three and half years now. CMN:Is there a distinction between 'erotica' and 'pornography'? I think so, and I find that disappointing. The line seems to be drawn between the two disciplines anywhere sexuality becomes overt. You can make extremely sexually suggestive imagery, and that's erotica, but if you introduce penetration or oral sex, the subject is considered pornography and somehow considered unsophisticated. This taboo is stupid and it keeps a lot of talented erotic artists from creating amazing works of "artful porn." CMN:In an increasingly global society where definitions of sexuality – straight, gay, metrosexual, omnisexual, transsexual, and so on - are challenged , are these terms 'erotica' and 'pornography' obsolete?Not really. Like I said, the distinction seems to be drawn at the point of true sexual contact. The form of sexuality that the artist chooses to portray doesn't matter. To each their own. CMN:Your slogan is 'searching for beauty in a world of smut'. You have made a number of fascinating statements on your blog's 'about' page. This one stands out:"I believe in beautiful pornography. I find something intrinsically beautiful about sex on film – at least when it’s done tastefully. I believe that pornography has more to offer than a cheap money shot. In fact, I feel that a lot of the stigmas about pornography being 'bad' or 'wrong' have been brought on by pornographers who have cheapened the subject through questionable filming and unethical exploitation."That's a far-reaching and provocative declaration, specifically when you contrast the term "tastefully" with your suggestion that some pornographers have "cheapened the subject". Please tell us more.That's one of the first things I really thought about and wrote on pornography, and it's very much a personal statement of a paradigm shift I had in my mid 20's. I never actually liked porn before. Based on everything I had seen up to that point, I just didn't get it. Sure, the sex on film was good for arousal and getting your freak on, but beyond that it was really substance-less and void of meaning. I thought of porn as something embarrassing, especially for the producers. But around 2002 in college, I happened across a video clip from the Andrew Blake film Aria, featuring Aria Giovanni. It was a pirated clip of the first scene of the movie that my friend had downloaded on Kazaa. I was transfixed by the style and fashion, and all of the little details of the film. Curious, I bought the DVD, and that film changed my world, and I've been searching for more of the like since then. CMN: You say "I collect the most revolutionary examples of artistic porn on the web." How far does the meaning of the word 'revolutionary' go, in your view?I liken the majority of porn companies to fast food chains. They cut corners at every turn to produce massive amounts of cheap crap. It's not good for you and it doesn't taste good, but we eat it anyways. I would rather live in a world where I am surrounded by delicious five-star eateries and McDonald's is the exception, not the rule. Every time we produce and support quality porn, we are showing a demand and growing supply for something new - a true revolution in the adult industry. And based on the growing number of independent sites producing real art-porn, I think we're well underway. CMN:Does that collection of examples include only the work done by professional pornographers?Not at all. CMN:Do you acknowledge the role of the individuals who 'make their own' as well? Absolutely. In fact, it's the amateurs and “Mom & Pop” companies that are free to experiment with new ideas and push pornography into new areas. I would point out Camille Crimson's Art of Blowjob as well as Lilyanne Bloom from Pornographic Love, both of which have created shining beacons of artful porn. CMN:Talking about 'Cum Art', do you consider the growing trend of masturbation on photos as part of this revolution? Short of your blog, I've never heard of this trend. Like most things, I suppose it depends on a number of subjectives. Art, porn or otherwise, has to be considered on a case by case basis. CMN:In your blog, you refer to people like Larry Flynt, websites like MetArt, companies like Private, filmmakers like Andrew Blake and Michael Ninn, as being landmark forces in the evolution of contemporary erotica and pornography.How do you see their work, relative to the revolutionary sexual messages in the Pop Art of painters like Allen Jones, Mel Ramos and Tom Wesselmann; the cartoon/illustration art of Stanton, Jean-Claude Forest, Robert Crumb, Tom Of Finland, Milo Manara, and hentai/futanari; the cinema of Luis Bunuel, Kenneth Anger, Russ Meyer and the Mitchell Brothers; the bondage photo and video classics of House Of Milan; the fetish world of Marquis and SkinTwo?Sure, I'm familiar with a few of those names! I think it's quite obvious that Allen Jones influenced Andrew Blake in a big way and you can see "live" versions of Jones' sculptures in a few Blake films, notably Hard Edge. It's interesting that you bring up Eric Stanton as his style was that of a sexy comic book. I don't know that he directly influenced anybody in porn. Russ Meyer was a sexploitation filmmaker and I have mixed feelings about that whole business. But if you can recall the pre-Internet era, you'll recall the culture of watching nudie films - pseudo erotica - under the guise of "just watching a movie." I think Meyer and his colleagues may have opened the conversation and paved the way for meaningful pornography, but the intent was all wrong. As far as all the bondage and fetish houses out there, you simply have to take your hats off to them. Honestly, I don't always understand their styles and tastes, but they have managed to foster a huge community of people from all walks of life who weave fashion with music and sexuality. What you end up with is this pornographic explosion of art that seeps into the global consciousness through mainstream pop culture. It's a unique world and I credit them for promoting a sex positive world. CMN:How about the 'reality porn' of producers like Bang Bros and Reality Kings? These reality porn sites and the like tend to be pretty shoddy in my eyes. I don't proclaim to know what goes on behind the scenes, but it sure looks like mass produced garbage to me. I have praised some of their works in the past, but inspired porn isn't what they are trying for, so it's pretty hit-or-miss. CMN:On occasion you've referenced Larry Flynt , who is recognized as an innovator in the adult industry for several reasons. One being that he was the first to make female genitalia the 'unique selling proposition' for his mass market magazines such as HUSTLER. Does the presence of genitalia and sexual fluids serve as a 'dividing line' between the labels of 'erotica' and 'pornography'?Perhaps. Take Deviant Art for example. They are quite lenient with their terms as evidenced by some incredible erotica under the Artistic Nudes category, but their terms clearly state that sexual penetration or bodily fluids are prohibited, so yes, that does seem to be a dividing line. That's a good rule of thumb, but I don't think it's a fair discrimination to make. I've personally collected several examples of artistic photos that I've labeled "cum art" that are madly erotic, but don't quite fit in with the porn genre. I think it's all quite subjective.
CMN:Does the empowerment of pornstars - especially the women - their control of their own websites, use of the Twitter-verse, and all the different aspects/techniques of social networking - influence the development of porn?I think that empowerment and independence are key to the evolution of porn. To this day, there exists a stereotype about porn stars: that they are dumb, desperate and in it for a quick buck. That's not the case anymore, and thanks to the rise of Twitter and other forms of fan interaction, people are learning that many of these adult performers are smart, funny and intelligent people. The fact that they run adult film empires or have sex on film is just one of the many things that make them interesting. CMN:Who do you think produces the most beautiful and sophisticated porn/erotica today?That's a really tough question as there are so many people producing great porn now! But my gut tells me that Andrew Blake is still the man to watch. Just when you think he may have passed his prime, out comes a film like Sex Dolls which still dominates our home theater. CMN:Do you think there is a marked difference between the American and the European attitude to porn and erotica, and how would you describe that? Porn and erotica are much more taboo here in America than most European countries. It's treated as a dirty little secret over here, while I get the impression that porn is much more acceptable across the Atlantic. CMN:Is there a 'black', 'Latin' and/or 'Asian' attitude to porn and erotica?I don't think so. CMN:Why do you think female 'mainstream' music performers like Madonna, Britney, Christina Aguilera, Rhianna, Lady Gaga, among others, use obvious porn/BDSM elements in their presentations?People love and relate to the fantasies of porn. I would not be surprised if porn inspired those performers on some level, be it subconscious or overt. It could be a sign that porn does play an important role in the development of our fashions and culture. CMN:Do Gen Y-ers think of sex and porn as being one and the same?Sex and porn are completely different animals, and I don't think that's the case. CMN:Are we moving towards a society where the boundaries are being erased? Or are we poised for a 'puritan backlash'?There's no doubt boundaries are being blurred. As an example, I recall a Tom Ford ad featuring a nude spread-legged woman with only the perfume bottle hiding her neatly shaved piece. We're also seeing more love scenes in mainstream film that can easily be considered soft porn. I think the next important step in this direction is going to be an Academy Award-worthy film with an explicit scene. As far as a backlash goes, I can't say. Politics tends to swing on a pendulum, who's to say society doesn't either? CMN:In your view, who are the three most important porn/erotic artists (producer, director, actor/actress, model, etc) right now, that anyone who enjoys top quality porn needs to see? In terms of filmmakers, Andrew Blake; his style kick-started this whole art porn movement. In the Actress/model category:Justine Joli, who turned lesbian sex into performance art. Finally, among photographers: Brigham Field, who switched from artistic nudes to explicit sex and inspired a new wave of art porn with X-Art. CMN:Please tell our readers about the images you've selected to illustrate this interview.I've attached a few photographs that represent the rising art porn genre, all taken from my site and used with permission from various sources. I think the images speak for themselves. CMN:To sum up, how would you frame your philosophy?Is it art, erotica, or porn? That's for the viewer to decide. I could care less. It is beautiful and for that reason it should be celebrated. Thanks to Patrick for his generous co-operation. We invite our readers to visit his excellent site, ARTFUL PORN (link here, or paste http://www.artfulporn.com/ in your browser). Thanks for reading!