Love and the Erotic in Art

This is a magnificently illustrated and enlightening journey through the visual portrayal of love and sexuality in Western art. Even in the modern world where explicit imagery is manifest, an erotic painting from half a millennia ago can still manage to create a sensation. This new addition to the highly-acclaimed "Guide to Imagery Series" takes readers on a fascinating romp through the portrayal of love and sexuality in Western art – ranging from chaste tenderness to overwhelming frenzies of the senses, and from Classical allusion to sexual fantasy. Individual chapters focus on specific themes, with a detailed and informative reading of the significance and symbolic content of the individual works illustrating each theme.