Can Porn Be Artistic, or is There No Such Thing?
Posted on by Robert Seitzinger (rseitzinger)URL for sharing: http://thisorth.at/8fh0
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Name one reason for the internet. Two people might say academic research and another shopping, but seven in ten are going to say porn.
Sites such as YouPorn and RedTube allow anyone with a handheld cam to share their sexual endeavors with the world. Most amateur clips give traction to the argument that porn is a cinematic enterprise with zero artistic value, that porn serves only to get viewers off, and no beauty can be seen in videos of blowjobs, female ejaculation, foot fetishism, or any other sexual activity.
However, art porn is a growing segment of sexual cinema. Viewers and performers are evolving their stance on what adult film can accomplish. More than money shots or spank material, art porn emotes and depicts honest intimacy between partners as it incorporates production value beyond the sound of grunts and moans, shaky camera work, and poor lighting.
To get a better handle on what is happening among the art porn world, This Or That got in touch with three popular names in the discussion of beautiful pornography and the adult film industry.
NOTE: Most of the links below are to sites that feature explicit images and are NSFW.
NOTE: Most of the links below are to sites that feature explicit images and are NSFW.
Camille Crimson brings sensuality to each of her scenes
Camille Crimson is a web admin for several art porn websites, including three that she performs for:
Lilyanne Bloom is a performer for Pornographic Love and she produces each video on the site, in addition to assuming directorial duties for some of her videos.
Sophie Delancey manages PR for each of the above sites and a blog of her life as a porn PR pro.
Each say they started in the business for different reasons and come from different backgrounds.
"At first it was because it looked fun," Bloom says. "Since then, I've learned a lot about film editing...I am now in the industry because I truly think that love and sexuality are meant to be together."
"I was a coder and my boyfriend was a photographer/videographer," Crimson says. "Independently, we had been exploring erotic videos and photography, so we decided we might as well work for ourselves, keep doing what we love and have hot sexual adventures while we do it."
"I got into the business completely by chance after finding my job advertised on Craigslist," Delancey says. "It's the ideal job for me. I've always been fascinated by sexuality and I've always thought that porn had the potential to be so much more."
Foot fetish videos are growing in popularity...just as Rex Ryan or Ludacris
When asked about the artistic value of porn, Bloom said "I definitely think that it can have an artistic value as long as there is attention to detail and the emotions depicted are true."
"Lighting, good cameras/lenses, great editing, beautiful music...it's all a part of making something meaningful in porn," Crimson says.
"Porn can be made to be so gorgeous, lush, and fantastic," Delancey says. "I guess people think of porn as low-brow by default, so most people don't aspire to do anything outside of the norm. Those who are striving for higher-quality porn are really revolutionizing the genre."
"I want to spread the message that porn can be beautiful."
--Camille Crimson
Art porn performers receive mostly positive feedback for their work, according to Bloom and Crimson.
"If people have found us, it's because they are looking for something different, so they are very positive," Bloom says.
"On an aesthetic level, people really appreciate the artistry," Crimson says. "On a personal level, people really love knowing that we're a real couple sharing our passion."
Delancey said she doesn't "work on the front lines of porn too much, but whenever I write something or do an interview, people call me smart. I like that."
Lilyanne Bloom brings intimacy and honest emotion into a business often lacking both
As for negative response, Bloom said she has only seen one negative comment and that she "took it very hard...I am very sensitive and I think it has to do with the fact that we expose our real life in our work. But the guy had a point that felt worth looking into, so I took it seriously."
"Usually negative feedback comes from people who expect really hardcore, graphic, violent sex, and they get frustrated that I'm not getting gangbanged and puking from deep throating giant penises," Crimson says. "I just tell them that's not what I do. If you're into that, you should look somewhere else."
Art porn performers also offer personal interaction with fans, maintaining Twitter feeds, blogs, YouTube channels, Facebook pages, and more. Delancey said she is "not a star, so I don't really have fans. Just well-wishers."
They all agree there are new directions in which porn can grow. Bloom said fan suggestions are a big part of her work, and Crimson said the freedom of working on her own terms make her experience in adult film industry enjoyable.
Camille Crimson runs a website dedicated to proving that fellatio does not have to be demeaning to women performing it
"The potential for creativity is boundless in porn," Delancey says. "The fact is that so few people actually try to explore those avenues, so the people who do are real pioneers. Even though it's a huge industry, there is so much room for innovation and pioneers really are recognized."
Crimson encourages viewers to contact her, saying "if you're curious about the idea of beautiful porn, check out my sites or come say hi to me on my blog or social media. I don't bite."
"I just hope that people will take a chance on finding new and innovative porn and to vote with their wallets," Delancey says. "Paying for porn shouldn't be any different than paying for dinner."
"Sexuality is made to be connected with love, and what we are trying to do with our work is reconnect this broken link in pornography."
--Lilyanne Bloom
What's your take? Leave a comment, share this story and cast your vote on art porn!
Can porn have artistic value?
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Posted By Neon Trees, (1 years and 4 months)
Posted By Nate, (1 years and 4 months)
As for "large proportion of underage users" I would venture that most ToT readers are of an age where they know what pornography is, and that this tactful presentation of the topic is a better approach than ignoring it altogether. Whatever "proportion of underage users" (a strange term; I think you mean population?) are reading this story are certainly exposed to much more graphic and perverse material than this. Are we to hide the discussion of adult topics from kids who are already well aware of how to find adult material? What benefit does that serve? Certainly, I would prefer that my children hear a mature, honest conversation about sexual cinema than for them to watch porn that demeans women and promotes sexual aggression.
Posted By rseitzinger, (1 years and 4 months)
What I was trying to say is that this site is used extensively by underage readers, so it doesn't seem appropriate to have explicit images and links to what are presumably porn sites in an article here. The discussion of course is fair game.
Posted By Nate, (1 years and 4 months)
Again, if an underage user was able to browse to this story, then they can certainly find much more explicit content. My story has no bearing on their ability to locate porn...and to play devil's advocate, if this WERE a gateway to their porn access, wouldn't it be better for them to discover a segment of the industry that promotes emotionally healthy sexual expression, as opposed to scenes by, say, Max Hardcore or Bangbros (two producers who pride themselves on demeaning actresses while enforcing the stereotype that a real man slaps, insults and spits on women)?
Posted By rseitzinger, (1 years and 4 months)
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