5 Kinky Art Scenes in Classic ***tings

The pleasures of the flesh have been celebrated in kinky art for millennia. In some ***tings, the meanings are subtle and implied, but others are far more explicit. Here are our top five kinkiest scenes in classic art.

Playful and flirtatious

Presenting a heady combination of foot and upskirt fetishes is The Swing, by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1767). It is also known as The Happy Accidents of the Swing, which kind of says it all. The ***ting was completed in 1767 as a commission for Baron de St. Julien, a French libertine; who was in the throes of a passionate affair with a married woman.

On the swing is his lover and behind her in the shadows is her husband. In front, gazing into the folds of her dress is the Baron himself. He specifically requested that he be placed “...in a position where I can observe the legs of that charming girl. " His hand reaching out to her casually open legs is a playful and flirtatious move — the sheer pleasure on her face. The kicked off shoe slowly falling towards her lover emphasises the kinky bond between the two of them and one of the kinkiest scenes in classic art.

Divine kinky art

Peter Paul Rubens' replication of Michelangelo's Leda and the Swan (1601), show a girl having sex with a swan, which may seem a bit extreme, even to the most sadomasochistic zoo girl. It’s worth remembering that in ancient times the gods were often thought to walk the earth in *** form. That meant if a swan, goat or horse seemed to be giving you the eye, it wasn’t you being a pervert, it was divine intervention.

Leda is thought to be Helen of Troy’s mother. In this myth, she is visited by Zeus in the form of a swan. Ironically, artists at this time often chose to show erotically charged scenes between women and ***s because they were not allowed to depict two humans having sex. It certainly makes for one of the kinkiest scenes in classic art.

Tentacle porn

The origins of tentacle porn can probably be traced back to Katsushika Hokusai's brazen depiction of an ama diver (a woman who worked in the sea free-diving for pearls) experiencing octopus oral sex in his The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife (1814). While one octopus down on her, the other caresses her naked body with its tentacles. They kiss. Her closed eyes and thrown back head show how much fun she’s having.

Underneath, her body is supported by an octopus as one of her nipples is being softly toyed with. BDSM involving *** play is pretty common. By illustrating a lone pearl diver being sexually gratified by two huge beasts, The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife takes it to a new level, as another example of kinky art in a classic ***ting.

Kinky art Leda And The Swan
Peter Paul Rubens, Leda and the Swan (1601) - kinky art with a divine element. Image: via Wikiart.org

Sinful mass orgy

Think of a random S&M practice, and you'll likely find it nestled amongst the mass orgy of kinky art that is The Garden of Earthly Delights. Men, women, ***s, fish, mermaids and many other strange entities take part in an eye-popping parade of sinful activity and sensual lust in Hieronymus Bosch's 1503 ***ting,

There are also depictions of ***, as a knight in full armour appears to be gnawed on by rats. There is a bird-like creature which eats humans alive then excretes them into a dark hole below. Bosch was interested in religion, creationism and our eventual descent into hell. Judging by the acres of flesh on show, he’d decided that lust played a significant part in that journey.

A fetish for black stockings

If you’ve ever lusted after someone in black stockings during a bondage scene or enjoyed being lusted after while wearing them, you’ll appreciate the aesthetic power of Egon Schiele’s Woman with Black Stockings (1913).

The woman is his lover, Valerie Neuzil, who had a pretty tempestuous relationship with the artist. She stood by him throughout numerous re-locations around Europe, including a charge of seducing a minor which nearly landed him in prison. The final straw came when Schiele announced he was going to marry a locksmith’s daughter, Edith Harms, for her ***. To Schiele's amazement Neuzil left, and despite him sending her regular begging letters, she never came back.

In this proud and voluptuous piece of kinky art, Neuzil faces us with her legs apart revealing her pink vagina and fleshy thighs. The effect of her black stockings is enhanced by a raised pure white cotton petticoat and contrasting bright red garters. The pose is erotic enough on its own, but Neuzil’s confidence and knowing sideways glance makes this one of the kinkiest scenes in classic art.