“Aizen Myoo” shunga erotic painting by Senju. A new version of an older painting I created in 2015.
Shunga is here and now. Even though commonly regarded as an artform of days gone by, exploring its spirit and history has provided me with a tool with which to resist the hollowing of heart that seems to be the disease that we as humans suffer the most from. The line separating lust and passion from greed and and consequent suffering is thinner than the razor’s edge. With eyes half closed you easily confuse what is being mercilessly and repeatedly dressed up and presented as “reality” with the real human heart.
Pornography, as it appears to us on the internet and in the constant sexualization and exploration of the female body and of women as objects of mens sexual desires in media and advertising, is not to be confused with “reality” or even “fantasy”. In “pornography” everybody looses out.
Pornography should be snatched away from the traffickers, the oppressors, the power hungry and greedy, the emotionally dumb and blindly devouring industry that re-packages and re-sells the same old ideas, structures and values that enslaves us all. Sexuality, passion, love and lust belongs only to ourselves. By exploring and examining what we discover within ourselves when we look bravely and without fear inside our own hearts, by uncovering falsities and prejudice within us, by nurturing fearlessness of emotions and throwing away all that garbage we have been told is “reality”, then we can create something real for a change.
/Senju
Your work is beautiful, and your philosophy about sexuality and sexual imagery is spot-on (IMO). Thanks!
I’m a wannabe painter who is interested in exploring the fine line between beauty and explicit sexuality. I’m not after shock value, rather honest arousal; not sociopolitical commentary but the beauty of raw passion…albeit, for many, overcoming embedded triggers about explicit imagery is a first barrier to allowing honest embrace of the sacred physical. (but for now…just more painting classes)
Thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, In order to create the real one has to deconstruct the illusion. “Pornography” (I have started to write it like that) has nothing to do with sexuality, passion and the heart. It is difficult at first to separate between what is part of an oppressive male power structure and what is part of love, both physical and the love of the heart.
When you use the word ‘arousal’ I think you are getting it right.
Also, feminism is a very needed tool. It changes everything and makes deconstruction possible. Especially since we as males gets programmed heavily from an early age, just as females do.
Zen studies also helps me along the path to getting it right. Especially identifying reality.
Once again, thank you 🙂
/Matti Senju Sandberg