Raunchy Antics at the British Museum

So this weekend I decided to check out the naughty exhibition everyone is talking about at the British Museum.

The museum is one of my favourite places to visit. I've killed many an hour, mainly getting lost, exploring the Egyptians and the amazing sculptures and artefact's in the vaults beneath the museum. It's also a place I always associate with school trips and family days out, so I was quite surprised when they announced a new exhibition called Shunga: Sex and Pleasure in Japanese Art. Not exactly something on the curriculum for school kids.

So what is Shunga? Well if it's not obvious from the title of the exhibition it's basically Japanese porn. The word Shunga translates to mean 'picture of spring.'  and although it originates from ancient China it was at its most popular in Japan between 1600 and the early 1900s.

The exhibition reveals highly detailed and colourful works of art - many of which were banned even in the 20th Century. Extraordinarily the artists well known for these erotic paintings, including Utamaro and Kunisada, inspired renowned European artists Toulouse-Lautrec and Picasso in some of their most famous pieces.

There were some elements, if not all, of the prints which were slightly exaggerated - I don't feel that I need to explain this further! But despite the nature of the pictures many artists employed humour in their work. I was particularly entertained with the nun who takes advantage of a priest hidden in a sack.

You can feel at times slightly uncomfortable looking at a drawing of someone performing spectacular moves whilst an elderly gentleman peers over your shoulder! Especially if you are looking at the image of the Japanese diver and the octopus! However; that shouldn't put you off as the exhibition is an interesting exploration into Japanese culture and it was definitely worth a visit.

The exhibition runs till the 5th January. To book tickets or for more information visit, www.britishmuseum.org