A dime a dozen, sexy art can be found by perusing your local music store and browsing countless CD covers. It is found at industry events where half-naked women are being painted live and in the flesh. It is viewed in the sexually suggestive poses and scenes in paintings hanging on walls in cafes and galleries. The winning odds of getting laid after a late-night, alcohol-laden show is prime impetus for driving a crowd out of the lonesome four-walls of their homes. None of this is "bad" per se; it is simply a reality - with cold, hard cash as the goal, it makes sense to appeal to the basic, primal whims of our human-animal nature. Yes, sex sells. Yet, the ironic truth is that we all have it. Anyone can turn a trick for money, for touch, or for, quite simply, attention. Sex is sex. It makes us all feel good, even if it is only momentarily. Once I learned this, it no longer mattered how much external beauty I did, or did not, have. After all, Hugh Grant chose to have sex with a prostitute, even though he was in a relationship with a gorgeous, successful woman. The charade was finally over - a woman's worth was not discovered in the amount of outward attention she attracted from men. When it comes to most sexy art today, however, what we usually don't get are the fanning flames of creative fire.
When it does hit us, we are directly inspired by the experience. It stays with us long after the lights have gone off, the studio doors have closed, the CD player has gone silent, the film projector has stopped projecting and the night has turned into another day. Sexy, smart art resonates close to hOMe - it is an energetic vibration that runs the length of our spines, from our root chakra all the way up to our crown chakra and back down again. It can bring us to our knees and have us rejoicing in the bitter-sweetness that is life as we know it. Sexy, smart art compels us to action - to dance, talk, share and investigate meaning, perhaps, or to make that first move, and take those baby steps. Sexy, smart art encourages us to walk closer toward our dreams and dares us to tempt fate by reaching toward our destiny. Sexy, smart art appeals not just to our primal, animal whims but to the everyday experience of what it means to be human - fully alive and present in this moment now. Sexy, smart art makes us want to bite into that ripe fruit, taste to our heart's desire and savor each blessed moment.
Recently, a friend introduced me to the 2003 Hollywood film, Down with Love. Directed by Peyton Reed, and starring Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger, it is a play on words with a surprise plot that foreshadows the third wave of feminism. Modeled after the 60's sex comedies that starred Doris Day and Rock Hudson, the over-the-top set design, vibrant plaids and soft pastels of the costume design and, even, the seemingly-cheesy acting, initially had me questioning my friend's suggestion. It did not take long, however, before the superficial appearance of fluff gave way to smart dialogue, well-placed timing and artistic genius. I loved it so much that I had to watch it three times, in one week no less! How pleasing it is to have one's limited perceptions both challenged and blown apart.
And this, my friends, is what Sexy, Smart Art does - it rips us open and tears down the walls that we spend a lifetime building around ourselves, our heArts and our lives. It has us take honest stock of where we find ourselves, in space and time - now. It makes us want to wipe the slate clean, clear off the canvas, create the palette that we paint our lives with, and apply vivid brushstrokes of radiant blues, brilliant yellows, somber neutrals, asymmetrical patterns, complementary line, shape and form, and dark shadows. Now, get painting!
