Sexualidad en imágenes: los mejores ilustradores eróticos

The evocative and fantastical power of the drawings makes them perfect for recreating sexual imagery. We're talking to some of their best authors.

One of Milo Manara's illustrations.Of all the artistic supports on which eroticism can ride, the book and illustration are those that leave the most space for fantasy. But, while an erotic story counts with a bunch of words as a deterrent arsenal, the image must reach our retinas like a subliminal message and provoke an emotion similar to poetry. The risqué drawings were before photos and films, so they possess a long experience in taking the shortest route to our libido, evoking other worlds, recreating and materializing erotic dreams and imagining new and varied paraphilias for which there are still no names or denominations.The Japanese Shunga art or the Mogul painting from northern India, which is often used to illustrate editions of the Kamasutra, were the first erotic comics that had to pass censorship and shared their didactic work with sexual warmers.When it comes to speaking of erotic cartoonists, the first name that immediately comes to mind isMilo Manara, probably the one who best has portrayed the faces of women on the verge of experiencing ecstasy.Something that for many, results infinitely more exciting than beautiful and perfect bodies. The Click or The perfume of the Invisible are their most universal works, although lately it seems to have hooked up with the Renaissance with its comics about Los Borgia or Caravaggio, full of eroticism that has consecrated him in this field of drawing. Neither was the work of artist Gerda Wegener negligible, who besides publishing illustrations in Vogue, scandalized society at the beginning of the 20th century with erotic illustrations of sex between women.

Erotic illustration is today in full form and counts numerous authors who flirt with the future and science fiction; or with the past, pin-ups, the legacy of Alberto Vargas or that of Guido Crepax, creator of the character Valentina.One of Gerda Wegener's drawings that scandalized society at the time.

Afternoon EroticismFor many cartoonists, eroticism doesn't fit well with the present and daily routine. Something that underscores Spanish illustrator Luis Royo: The current time doesn't interest me too much because it leaves a certain Polaroid complex. I prefer to go to an imaginary past or future. I can't conceive of illustration without fantasy, it's like taking away its soul. Royo started in the world of science fiction comics and drifted towards eroticism, something that worried his editors who, according to him, warned me that I would fail. Today he is known worldwide for his Prohibited Books –four versions–, his Suversive Beauties –sensual and deadly warriors– and his two editions of Malefic Times. Now Royo works on the third version of this last illustrated book saga, in which the protagonist, a lustful and strong survivor of an apocalyptic New York, fights to stay alive among angels, demons, and numerous unclassifiable beings. When I left comics and started doing my books I was surprised that most of my readers at fairs were women. I think thatThe female genre is more complex and seeks a filled-with-symbolism eroticism, less direct.What can capture the man who, in this sense, is more flat. In Prohibited I tried to get as close as possible to pornography. The difference between eroticism and porn is almost invisible and not in what you see, but in how you see it. A kiss can be an explicit act, stripped and a sexual relationship something ethereal, meta-physically.

Female characters are often the protagonists of many of these illustrators. In Royo's words, because the female body expresses better eroticism and its contradictions. You can draw a delicate body or face but with perverse gaze or inclinations. But if you put a man alone it never works. Male characters are not as polyhedral. They don't have many nuances.One of Luis Royo's works.The Italian onePaolo Eleuteri Serpieri also bets on powerful and addictive fetishes for sex.His Druuna character, a voluptuous inhabitant of the chaotic and dangerous world of the future, had a generous reception from its first book, Morbus Gravis (1985), which sold over a million copies in 20 different languages. Surely due to its explicit sex scenes with all types of humans and mutant beings. The American Richard Vance Corben, however, has a male character, Den, to narrate his erotic-futuristic adventures. Our hero, an engineer from the present era, moves to a world of violence and adventure, filled with women with large breasts. The main character suffers a physical transformation and passes from being weak to a muscular man with a huge penis. Someone whom Corben's powerful women force to use their sexuality without rest. The Argentine located in Spain, Horacio Altuna, combines satire with eroticism and his female characters are young and uninhibited women, confident in their sexuality, for whom men do not always prove to be up to par. Altuna has collaborated with Playboy magazine.Signed illustration by Eleuteri Serpieri.

Japanese illustrators. Refined perversion.The magistral Japanese formula of making the past be the vanguard and the future have retro tints is an essential ingredient in the philosophy of many of its most prominent erotic illustrators, who play with time at their whim. Among them, Hajime Sorayama is the most popular, and his works are exhibited in art museums –his design for Sony's AIBO robot is part of the permanent collection at MOMA– and win awards, such as the Vargas Award. This artist has worked for Nike, George Lucas, Aerosmith, Playboy, Penthouse, Marvel Comic, or Disney. His gynoids, suggestive androids with feminine forms, emerged in 1983 in his book Sexy Robot and continue to be his most prominent characters, as demonstrated by one of his latest publications, Sorayama XL (2014).

Yuji Moriguchi mixes Manga, the genre with which he started his career, with Japanese Shunga painting. Geishas, schoolgirls penetrated by octopus tentacles, housewives who masturbate with shopping basket products or giant squid with phallic forms that kidnap lolitas on the beach. Often Yuji's erotic works are commissions in which the client makes suggestions to the artist about the fantasy they want him to represent. In Yoji Muku's drawings, much more perverse, shibari, Japanese bondage governed by technical and aesthetic principles, is the main character. Takato Yamamoto goes further and combines all elements: manga, Shunga aesthetics, women immobile under ropes, skulls, gothic references, vampires, cemeteries, and European art inspiration from late 19th century. But surely, the title of enfant terrible of sexuality in images is held by Namio Harukawa, a native of Osaka, Japan. A provocative spirit that swims against the tide. While Japanese sexual imagery tends to feature infantile faces and innocent young girls, this illustrator is known for his round women with overweight and a dominant desire, that sit on the faces of weak, submissive, and fearful men. Something like a perverse and Oriental Botero.Sorayama Illustration

Revised pin-upsThe girls of the calendar are another recurring theme for many artists who specialize in translating eroticism into images. Frenchwoman Serge Birault is one of them. Her digital painting depicts sexy, mischievous women with bad intentions and often armed. However, as Birault confesses, sexuality is not one of her intentions when drawing. My personal conception of eroticism is very different from what I paint. I don't try to make erotic images. It would be very difficult for me to define it because each person has their own perception of what this word means. However, this painter recognizes that painting is the only perfect medium for tracing curves. You can deceive and trick to get the perfect curve. Humor is also an essential ingredient in Birault's images, the art of pin-ups is always about sexy girls, but I think making something funny is more interesting. Her illustrations, according to the artist herself, interest many women, half of my followers are girls. And I think it's because I portray strong women, not victims. Her sources of inspiration are numerous, animated drawings, names like Dean Yaegle, Bruce Timm, Shane Glines or Hajime Sorayama himself, but also paintings by Rembrandt, works by illustrator Norman Rockwell, who portrayed American life style like no one else, or actresses of the moment like Gong Li or Amanda Seyfried. The painter Serge herself seems a strong and ironic caricature of Betty Page, the queen of pin-ups. Olivia de Berardinis, from Malibú, also worships women in light clothing, suggestive, aggressive. Half human, half animal or robots; but almost all with retro tints or avatars of Dita Von Teese, Marilyn Monroe or legendary pin-ups. Meanwhile, Marcus Gray's obsession with latex makes him the reference for those addicted to this Erotic fabric.A Milo Manara work.