Book Condition: Very Good, with some slight foxing to first 4 pages and last two pages. No Dustjacket allegedly due to the previous owner (a retired presbyterian vicar) wrapping the book in another DJ (Mein Kampf) to avoid unwanted attention whilst commuting by bus in Ramsgate. Profusely Illustrated (illustrator). Tan Boards, gilt Type. "Clean", bright, tight copy. No inscriptions.128 pp including index. First. 4to - over 9¾" - 12". 127 pp, numerous plates illustrating chapters on Sex, religion and art; Greece and Rome; the Renaissance; from Rubens to the 19th century; erotic art today and tomorrow and EVERY DAY! Carr discusses the use of the nude within Christian art, which is frequently used for scenes depicted Adam and Eve. Although very little of the genitals is indicated, I interpret a lot of the surrounding imagery to be very phallic symbolic, particularly the serpent which often surrounds or entwines Eve. Yonic symbols are also present, such as the strategically placed Iris flower in Hugo Van Ger Goes’ depiction of the scene. Carr describes the prim and prudish attitude that the Church had towards sex, not just through its artistic biblical interpretations but also condemning the amount of sexual intercourse married couples can engage in. “ The Church took it upon itself to condemn sexual intercourse for married people on Fridays, Sundays, Wednesdays, the many Saints’ days, forty days before Christmas and forty days before Easter, and for three days before attending Communion. More than half the year was thus made sexless.” – Francis Carr 1972. The renaissance allowed a freer approach for artists to portray the female form. Although, generally speaking, the majority of the artists would keep the genitals concealed, there was much more sexual expression in these works. Visible sexual attraction is visible between characters on the canvas, and a times projected onto the viewer. For example, Although Susanna and the Elders by Tintoretto doesn’t show anything particularly sexual, the partial glimpse of the vulva probably made it rather raunchy for the time. This is echoed through the subject’s cheeky expression that she points outwardly and gives the viewer, showing no shame for her nudity. This painting shows awareness and liberation. There are other examples Carr gives which almost begin to become humorous and slightly crude, such as The Duchess of Villars. Most of the illustrations in this book show the artist extolling the simple joys of heterosexual love. Two additional subjects will be found. Some paintings of love between women have been included, not only as portrayals of homosexual love, but also because the female body is the ideal symbol of beauty. “The inclusion on the same canvas of two of these ideal symbols can be regarded as the portrayal of the mutual emotions of beauty and love felt by two people whether they are of the opposite sexes or of the same sex. Such a painting can be seen as the artist’s attempt to intensify the quality of beauty, visual and emotional, by using two women instead of one. “ -Francis Carr 1972.
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