The Nobleness in Life...

Found a really old book in my father’s rather extensive, and un-doubtly very varied, library (The Encyclopedia of Jewish Customs, 1985, Dune, to ah, Maria Rilke).

<>Sex is difficult; yes, But they are difficult things with which we have been charged… If you only recognize this and manage, out of yourself, out of your own nature and ways, out of your own experience, and childhood and strength to achieve a relation to sex wholly your own, not influenced by convention and custom, then you need no longer be afraid of losing yourself and becoming unworthy of your best possession. – Maria Rilke, Letters on Love.

*Edit: Yes, Rilke is male; I wasn't able to tell. But it's probable that because I thought he was female, I went through his work convincing myself it had something of the feminine about it. Not that it matters; Art is androgenous, after all.

Sometime back I wrote an email interview about my views on pornography and sex, and have just gotten it sent back to me via article format, and reading the excerpts of my interview, in the context of the article, made me wonder if I really did write all of it. Not because I was lying in it, but because I’ve forgotten some of the ideas I’d put across, and they all seem on the one hand familiar, yet still refreshing.

Here are some excerpts:

(I have modified them a little, for a bunch of boring reasons.)

Q: Are you concerned about juveniles gaining access to nudity? Why?

A: I think it's stupid for people to see nudity as explicit. They see used to see their mother's breasts all the time, they see themselves naked, and they see their siblings naked. Of course I understand there is a difference between seeing people you're so used to nude and people you don't know, nude. But I feel that desire is a very natural and pleasing thing, and part of what makes life worth living.

I grew up with a lot of sexual images around me and I started learning how to paint the female nude form at about the precise age of 10. I'm glad to have been so attuned to my sexuality at a young age, because it's given me time to develop it through adolescence, where I was sure I didn't want to have sex yet, knowing fully well I was too young (my body clearly did not resemble the voluptuous, clearly sexual nudes in any of the art I was exposed to).

Because I was exposed a lot to eroticism, I knew exactly what I want when it came to sex, and I think a lot of juveniles should not be denied that. I think a lot of them end up entering this whole business of sex (when they fall in love etc… ) prematurely, irresponsibly, and under pressure.

Q: If our government imposes laws on pornography, will it affect the arts scene here and the freedom of expression?

A: No. If they can distinguish between the pornographic and the erotic. Pornography has nearly no value aside from a fun time in the sack, which I have nothing against. But it should only be let to people who can distinguish the fantasy from reality.

If they cannot make a clear distinction, and overdo it, it will certainly affect the arts scene. Because such a huge part of human expression draws it's inspiration from sex. It is for a reason that lust is one of the seven deadly sins!

Q: What would you like to see about the society's perception of artistes doing pornography?

A: I think you need to make the distinction between eroticism and pornography! I would love to have people accept pornography as a fact of life, a tool that can be used to enhance their sex, but nothing more. Where eroticism is concerned, however, I would hope that one day we will start to learn to how to use it to develop and understand our emotions better. Understanding your own psychology towards sex can be very liberating.

xoxox