Erotica - from the Greek "passion", "love" - a trend in art associated with the concept of sexual sensibility. If we consider erotica more narrowly, then it refers only to the field of art, in the broad sense of the word - erotica is present in all spheres of life.
Not to be confused with pornography
You can often hear about erotica as something shameful or forbidden. This is a misconception. According to the artist Picasso, erotica is art itself. There is no art without eroticism. Most often, eroticism is expressed through fine art, music, films, literature, photography.
In erotic works, the portrayal of characters can be associated not only with love, but also with a desire for an object of passion. At the same time, one should not identify and confuse erotica with pornography.
Pornography is characterized by an emphasis on the genitals of men and women. This is not characteristic of eroticism. On the contrary, in the works of the erotic genre there is always an understatement. The author hints rather than shows. Erotica is the art of allusion. Often erotic works are criticized, especially this was the case in the past. After all, erotica originated as a genre in ancient Greece.
Then, to replace the ancient Greek art, the Renaissance era came, and the erotic beginnings of art subsided a little. Although some scientists associate the emergence of eroticism with the Renaissance, citing the fact that in antiquity people did not identify the image of naked bodies with the concept of sin. However, this point of view remains controversial. And the very name "erotica" comes from the name of the ancient Greek god Eros.
Erotic art is not for everyone
Later, in the 18th century, erotica became an “art for the elite”, balancing on the verge of what is permissible and what is not permissible. Everything has changed since the 19th century. In art, there is only a hint of the nakedness of the human body, nothing more.
As for the representatives of different peoples, then, for example, in Europe and in the East, there is a different understanding and embodiment of the erotic. If in works of European art it is considered good form when sexual intercourse between a man and a woman is implied, but not directly described, then in Japanese drawings the point of intercourse is clearly visible, because it is precisely the essence of an erotic representation. In India, eroticism in art is closely related to religion and philosophy.
In the minds of a Russian person, the idea of eroticism as a direction in art, which has a certain demonic origin, has developed. This is the reason for the wary attitude towards eroticism in works of art. She has always balanced on the verge of art with non-art. Many works that are currently considered generally recognized have previously been severely criticized and their authors persecuted.