On UnbearableLigntness' blog the subject of artistic pornography appeared, and the title of the post was literally Artistic Pornography: An Oxymoron? The question went out, is it possible for pornography to be artistic? Of course, that becomes an instant set of uncertainties based around each person's subjective definition of the terms involved: what is art, what is porn, is it possible for them to co-exist in the same work? On that subject there's only so much I can say, my opinion, your opinion, how the next person to encounter the subject might feel about it, opinions like so many other parts of anatomy: one per customer per subject. But from the discussion a thought appeared on a tangent to the original question, a thought I'll share here so it is recorded before it evaporates. My thought has to do with the legends of the Muse, the feminine spirit of creativity, in relation to the subject of artistic pornography.
From recent work in psychiatry it has been proven by hard science that exposure to sexually charged stimuli (particularly when there is no corresponding sexual activity) can produce changes in the brain, sometimes very permanent changes. These changes go far beyond the psychological, they are changes to the firmware wiring in the brain, measurable changes in the chemistries of the brain the psychology of the individual must adapt to, or suffer.
Of course the psychiatric studies dealt with those where such changes produced a negative impact on a life, installed or amplified some dysfunction in the life. Of course they would only cover the negatives, the shrinks would have no reason to examine in depth those for whom the changes might have produced a positive change, those for whom such changes unlocked and empowered some unrealized potential within the individual. Such was always the legend of the Muse, the feminine force that will empower and inspire the creation of art in one form or another. The ancient Greeks, they who set so much solid wisdom into their legends, said there were seven archetypes of the muse, each a beautiful woman whose domains were the various art forms known to humanity.
The Muse had the ability to "touch" a human and impart her particular gift, often she was described as unbearably beautiful and seductive, impossible to refuse, impossible to endure for long. A not so surprisingly consistent account with the recent findings mentioned above. I have been touched by a Muse, and no, you can't stay with her long, and no, you can't turn her down, and yes, you'll love her and cuss her in the same breath for the rest of your life for you can no more be free of what she has done than she can be free of the ability to do it, an ability she often can't restrain even when she might want to. There is ample room for compassion on both sides of the Muse equation.
My question for the psychiatrists, for the artists and the muses, for you my friends, my question goes like this: Given it would seem the sexual is the route, the method and the mechanism of the Muse's gifts has anyone ever examined the idea the final outcome (for good or for ill within the life) of those changes in the brain firmware of they who receive the gift of the Muse might be very, very specifically dependent on if her offerings, her seductions if you will, were processed as the art of the erotic or the self slander and limitations of pornography?
I am in essence drawing on science to do a thing from the scientific method, reversing the original question to test symmetry: might the conflicts of mental illness that are so very often an Oxymoron be the result of an individual's personal tactic for dealing with the sexual elements (of the Muse), their choice to perceive only the artistic, or only the pornographic?
Cyranos, you've got me on this one. There is no doubt certain experiences, behaviors, i.e., environmental conditions are now proven to alter our brains. Are you thinking years of sexual repression could make someone lapse into a personality disorder? Of that I have no doubt. I've met these people, more often of late than ever in the past. But that it would make you view porn differently, I couldn't say. I think how you view porn has most of all to do with your own self esteem as I agree participation in it is self-slander.
ReplyDeleteCJ, I'm thinking perhaps the years of sexual repression might produce a bias, a bifurcation of results to be seen in those brain changes when some stimuli actually makes it in behind the repression. I suppose I'm asking if it is possible for what would ordinarily be considered a trait of culture influenced personality to affect a bias in the physical modification/maturation of the brain hosting the personality. Short form, can the Muse touch someone who will interpret her as porn rather than the (creative) fertility of an essentially wholesome seduction?
ReplyDeleteWhen I hung out, camped, in the chat room where I met Alexa I made contact with the man who directed the operation, corresponded with him concerning his academic study, a dissertation I believe, on the subject of the psychiatric changes seen in some cases caused by the product he was marketing, the erotic models. He sent me a draft of his work for my review, I'm sure at least in part as a warning, I was logging a lot of hours on his site. He was Italian, he was writing in English, I read his work and gave advice on readability and organization. From the quality of his work, and the quality of the women he had working for him it gave rise to the very real possibility (never confirmed nor denied) that the entire operation was a self supporting psyche study. When the operation changed it changed radically, the art component fell like a rock to be replaced by what you'd expect (which is why I left, the comparison was painful).
In our world today, where sex and sexuality is pushed into service in so many different areas of life such an understanding would be of value to the mental health profession, of course it would. I'm mostly fishing for opinions on the subject from those not in that profession.