The Art of Arousal: A Celebration of Erotic Art throughout History [Paperback]

Dr. Ruth Westheimer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2000

The Art of Arousal brings together 120 of the most engagingly erotic paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings from diverse eras and cultures.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Well-known sex therapist Westheimer here presents a provocative, richly eclectic, inspirational collection of erotic art. Chapters proceed methodically from flirtation and seduction to foreplay, the embrace, solitary and group pleasures and conclude with blissful exhaustion--a loose framework for organizing more than 100 color reproductions of works by Georgia O'Keeffe, Titian, Watteau, Durer, Manet, Courbet, Egon Schiele, David Hockney and others. The scope is multicultural, embracing Persian miniatures, a Cambodian sandstone female torso, a Dogon primordial couple from west Africa and Hopi carver Fred Koruh's interlocking male and female kachina dolls. Westheimer's exhortatory interjections on foreplay, lovemaking positions and so forth seem intrusive amidst the shrewd art-historical commentaries of her anonymous, albeit acknowledged cultural adviser. Overall, this is a delightful bedside companion.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The inimitable sex therapist Dr. Ruth has concocted yet another approach to spark romantic liaisons. Dr. Ruth and an art historian friend "spent days giggling and choosing the illustrations" for this inane publication, which contains over 100 images of erotic artworks. Spanning the centuries from ancient Greek times to the present and representing a multitude of cultures, the illustrations include sexual depictions by such artists as Botticelli, Fragonard, Titian, Rodin, Goya, and Magritte. "Pictures in which everyone was having a good time" are paired with biographical and historical comments spiced with Dr. Ruth's special expertise. In keeping with its intent, the chapters are organized by "the progression of an erotic relationship, from the first glance to postcoital bliss." Art and sex deserve better than this gimmicky book. Not recommended.
- Joan Levin, Chicago
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Madison Books (May 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568331673
• ISBN-13: 978-1568331676
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,469,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Germany in 1928, I was sent to a children's home in Switzerland at the age of ten which became an orphanage for most of the German Jewish students who had been sent there to escape the Holocaust. At 17 I went to Israel where I fought for the country's independence as a member of the Haganah, the Jewish freedom fighters. I then moved to Paris where I studied at the Sorbonne and taught kindergarten. I immigrated to the U.S. in 1956 and obtained my Masters Degree in Sociology from the Graduate Faculty of the New School of Social Research. In 1970, I received a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in the Interdisciplinary Study of the Family from Columbia University Teacher's College.
My work at Planned Parenthood is what prompted me to further my education in human sexuality by studying at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center.
My TV show Sexually Speaking first aired in 1980 as a 15-minute taped show, which then increased in popularity and became a nationally syndicated radio show.
In recent years, I have made regular appearances on the PBS Television children's show Between the Lions as "Dr. Ruth Wordheimer" in a parody of my therapist role, in which I help anxious readers and spellers overcome their fear of long words.
Currently I am an Adjunct Professor at N.Y.U. and an Associate Fellow of Calhoun College at Yale University, where I teach a course on the American family. I am also a Fellow of Butler College at Princeton University, where I will teach a course on the Jewish family. In addition to having my own private practice I am a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and frequently lecture at universities across the country.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Images 5 Commentary 3, December 10, 2007

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of Arousal: A Celebration of Erotic Art throughout History (Paperback)

Dr. Ruth Westheimer has provided laughs, giggles, and an occasional bit of insight into sex therapy on her old television and radio appearances and here, in this now affordable paperback version of her 1993 book THE ART OF AROUSAL: A CELEBRATION OF EROTIC ART THROUGHOUT HISTORY she extends her slanted knowledge to include art. Though there is an unidentified ghost writer and researcher (?Andrew Shelton) involved, the spotlight is on Dr. Ruth as she makes witty comments (sheathed in a condom of profundity!) about art of the erotic nature from early civilization to the (then) present. The writing is superficial at best, but is entertaining - like walking behind an older groupie at a museum tour, hearing them titter at all the naughty pictures.

The reason to buy this version (2000 paperback reissue) is for the illustrations themselves, images that do not require historical explanation in order to enjoy them. The art spans ancient Greek, African, Asian, and Native American sculpture, well known masterpieces from Michelangelo through Caravaggio, Fragonard, da Vinci, Titian, Canova, to Hokusai and Masami Teraoka's homages to the master, to the drawings and painting of Egon Schiele, Picasso, Joyce Kozloff, and Robert Colescott. Instead of presenting the images in chronological order, Westheimer divides her chapters into Elements of Eroticism, The Pleasures of Looking, Flirtation and Seduction, Kisses and other Foreplay, The Embrace, Solitary and Group Pleasures, and Blissful Exhaustion - a decision of order that suggests Dr. Ruth's thought processes.

But no matter the editorial stance, the book is full of very well reproduced images of sculpture, vessels, drawings, etchings, and paintings. And that is reason enough to add this confection to your art library! Grady Harp, December 07

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great entertainment, but non-existent scholarship, July 16, 2001

By 

Shantell Powell "The ShanMonster" (Kitchener, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of Arousal: A Celebration of Erotic Art throughout History (Paperback)

This is an excellent cross-selection of international erotic artwork. Although pieces from Western civilization are more heavily-weighted, there are still plenty of sculptures/paintings from Asia, South America, and Africa. The time range runs the gamut from thousands of years ago to modern art. The pieces are chosen well, and the colour reproduction is admirable.

Do not expect a meticulously-researched book, though. I don't have a terrific knowledge of general art history, but I do know a bit more about ancient Greek art than the average person. Although the vital statistics are available for each of the pieces shown in the book, the write-ups are occasionally filled with pure conjecture. For example, some of the Greek red-figure artwork is described rather wishfully. One piece, showing an orgy scene, is described as a scene involving men and hetairai (high-class courtesans) at a symposium. In actuality, these women are probably lowly prostitutes, as evidenced by the coarseness of their features and heavyset bodies. Hetairai are depicted as being more refined and beautiful than these particular women.

Another red-figure piece is featured, showing a man and a young woman having sex outdoors. Dr. Westheimer writes, "If he is a considerate lover ... he will turn her around and bring her to orgasm with cunnilingus." Although cunnilingus may have been practiced, it is not represented in ancient Greek art or mentioned in Greek literature. In fact, the Greeks didn't even have a word for it. Since ancient Greece was a very sexist society, and generally speaking, women did not have any rights, I think it's highly unlikely the woman in the red-figure cup ever did receive any sort of oral nookie.

Although I believe Dr. Westheimer makes incorrect assumptions about some of the artwork, her artistic interpretations aren't the purpose of the book. The purpose is to offer light entertainment and to provide artistically-motivated lessons in seduction, a goal she achieves quite well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Warm and delicious, January 12, 2008

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of Arousal: A Celebration of Erotic Art throughout History (Paperback)

Dr. Ruth brings us a charming collection, artistic celebrations of sex in all its forms. The book paces itself the same was as a sexual encounter, from first sight and flirtation, through the peak of the experience (alone or with others), on to "blissful exhasution." Westheimer and her collaborators have chosen artworks that praise each phase of the mating game, using images drawn from every era and area of the world.

Westheimer's format invites easy browsing. Most often, each page presents one piece of art and a few paragraphs of her happy and gentle commentary. The reproductions of the art of reproduction are beautifully printed on heavy, bright paper. Most of the pictures are large enough for easy reading, with blowups of details where a fine point might otherwise be missed. The art historians working with Dr. Ruth have chosen works from famous names, including Leonardo, Picasso, Degas, Rembrandt, and other lumninaries of the Western canon, but didn't stop there. Other works are drawn from the art of India, Japan, Africa, and South America, as well as contemprary works by many artists.

All of the works depict happy, consensual activity - you won't find any of the dark edges that put so many people off sexual imagery. Bold, bawdy, or blissful, there's something here for every mood. The only problem with this collection is that, despite its 150 or so images, you'll come away wanting more.

-- wiredweird