MetArt

What is Art?

The question of what one can consider to be art has been around at least since the time of the ancient Greeks. In his seminal work, The Republic, the Greek philosopher, Plato argues that “art imitates the objects and events of ordinary life. In other words, a work of art is a copy of a copy of a Form. It is even more of an illusion than is ordinary experience. On this theory, works of art are at best entertainment, and at worst a dangerous delusion” (taken from a Rowen University writer). Taken at face value, this allows for a rather broad definition of what art can be. Under this interpretation of Plato’s conception of art, art could be anything that imitates life. Therefore, the popular reality tv show, The Bachelor could be considered a form of art – even though it is doubtful that most art critics or students of art would go on a limb to defend the show as a work of art. But, with that being said, The Bachelor does, in a way, “imitate the objects and events of ordinary life,” with that event of ordinary life in question being the process by which people attempt to find someone to marry. However, it seems laughable to try and defend the artistic merits of reality television, as they are most often merely cash grabs that offer up cheap and manufactured drama for mass consumption. Then there is also the matter that reality television actually involves real people in the pursuit of a mate, however trite and altered those situations may be. So, can it really be considered art, then, if it is less an imitation or a representation of a human experience and more a skewed and manufactured documentation of it? There is also, it should be addressed, little to nothing of artistic merit that goes on in such shows, from a cinematic or literary standpoint. But that is another story. Plato did not seem all too invested in such academic conceptions of art. So, perhaps, then, Plato would, could he watch modern television, argue that The Bachelor is a work of art. Even if the snootier art critics of the world would staunchly disagree.

Is Porn Art?

Where, then, does that leave the genre of pornography. It would be very interesting to see what Plato would have to say about porn. Porn also follows Plato’s broad definition of what can be considered art, after all. It does tend to “imitate the objects and events of ordinary life.” In this case, the objects would be sexual organs, the event would be the sexual experience. It stands to reason that Plato would, in fact, by his own definition, have to concede that porn was art. Again, though, the uptight art critics would probably disagree with him. Due to the frequent lack of application of artistic prowess and merit. Most porn, after all, is mere smut, right? A great deal of the pornography being produced today is little more than a tripod, a camera, and two (or more) people indulging carnally with abandon. So, the question still lingers … can porn be considered art? And what is required of porn in order for those lines to be blurred? There are many people out there who would argue that, no, porn cannot be considered art because of its lack of artistic merit. Many have argued throughout the course of this longstanding debate that art must have something meaningful to say, that it cannot merely be obscene for the sake of entertaining the viewer. However, this argument runs into plenty of problems of its own. For one, who is to decide where the line of obscenity is? What is, in other words, to be considered obscene, and how can we come to an agreed-upon definition when it is such a subjective, arguably moralizing differentiation? Furthermore, isn’t the message of a piece of art also up to the viewer and his or her interpretation? Maybe, then, if one person sees no message behind a work of porn, it isn’t because it does not exist, but more a shortcoming of the interpreter’s imagination for being unable to discern it. What is and is not art, if nothing else, subjectively decided upon. That being said, there are certainly artists that seem to put more aesthetic thought and effort behind their works than others. This is why the Tarantino film True Romance is often taught and lauded in film schools, yet The Bachelor is not. The same is true, it should follow, of porn.

Blurring the Lines Between Porn and Art

And the porn site that we will be delving into today is, Pornsites.com would posit, one of the most artistically valuable porn sites in the entire adult entertainment industry today. The site we will be looking at even has “art” in its name. Art is part of their focus … the site seeks to revise what we consider porn and what we consider art, and they do so through providing tasteful erotica that celebrates the female form for its beauty and power. Met Art got its start in 1998. Back then, though, it was known as Most Erotic Teens … hence the acronym of today, MET. It features “romantic porn,” porn that is, according to Wikipedia, “made for women as well as men.” It is a refreshing take on porn that is becoming increasingly popular as women are becoming more and more vocal about the fact that they enjoy porn just as much as men do, even though it was traditionally believed that porn was more a vehicle for the pleasure of men. Met Art – alongside a few other more artistic, softer core, similarly artistic websites – seeks to smash this paradigm, creating a porn of equality … a porn that treats women as subjects, as opposed to objects of ordinary life. And it doesn’t get much more artistic than that. This unique approach to porn has been paying off for Met Art, too. Since 2015, the site has won either an X Biz or AVN award every year. And they are expected to continue their winning streak, seeing as they continue to put out some of the highest quality content in the industry. But it isn’t just the constant stream of highly stylized, beautiful, and sexy photos and videos that Met Art puts out which makes the site so successful. This attention to detail and artistic spirit also lives on in the site’s design.

Site Design as Elegant as its Content

The layout of Met Art is closer to that of a classy magazine than that of a smutty porn site. It is somewhat nostalgic of the men’s magazine, Maxim in its aesthetic. It is minimalist, sharp, sleek, stylish, and sexy. The site is easy to navigate and very user friendly. It is highly intuitive, and, frankly, fun to browse … almost like thumbing through a highbrow erotic magazine. Everything you could want in terms of ease of access makes the experience a simple one, and is available in the site menu bar, which sits slenderly atop the page. From here, navigate the site by browsing new updates, films, photos, models, blog, live girls, or more girls (browse DVDs, special series models, etc.). You can also conveniently search the site by keyword, even site activity, allowing you to view the site according to what fellow users tend to click on. This is a very unique and useful feature that Pornsites.com believes more sites should follow suit on.

Are there Any Shortcomings?

From there, it’s nothing but beautiful women posing nude or modeling in provocative poses in front of stunning backdrops. Since Met Art does not limit itself to one medium (i.e. photography or film), but instead offers both kinds of content, there are tons and tons of new updates to be enjoyed every single day. You may not get a new video each day, but you can be guaranteed a new photo shoot at the very least. This makes Met Art, when combined with the superb quality of its content, one of the best bangs for your buck on the web. The blog section of the site, too, also offers even more exclusive content. It’s like having access to not only one of the best erotic porn sites in the industry with more content than you will know what to do with, but an entire sexual lifestyle magazine as well. Here, you will find fascinating articles on sex, as well as erotic lit pieces and features and interviews with some of Met Arts beautiful models. This only adds to the 360-degree experience that this site is bent on providing. The only real downside to this site? The fact that it is softcore erotica only. So, if you’re looking for penetrative sex videos, Met Art will not be for you. But if you are somebody who values the artistic side of life and views women as subjects, not just objects, of desire, this site will be sure to please!