Respecting Our Roots – MetArt’s Early Years 1999-2002

The reason I became a MetArt connoisseur is because, unlike any other nude site, it has perfected straddling this tantalizing line of explicit imagery that is simultaneously artfully elegant and tasteful. Typically, the image of a nude woman bending over showing off her open labia would be considered smutty, but MetArt elevates it to another plane of reality with the uncompromising quality of its studio lighting, fashion, make up, set design, and composition. All these factors add to the photography and make it come alive in a totally different light to create such an incredible and unique art form.  

But it wasn’t always like this. Like any great artistic collection, the evolution of art is evident throughout the course of time. Picasso and the Beatles famously had their distinct periods of painting and music that demonstrated changes in their creative output as they continued to pursue their talents over the years. It’s no different here at MetArt.

You may not recognize it, but pictured above is MetArt’s very first photograph ever published when the website went live on December 15, 1999, from “Ronin Mixed Gallery.” You would be forgiven if you didn’t even realize it was a MetArt photo. Some may scoff at how simple and neutral MetArt’s first nudes were; some may not even consider them “true” MetArt images, though they certainly are. Before we had girls like Libby showing off her trademark bubble butt or Katarina Meis displaying her incredible body, before MetArt could even be considered “pornographic,” it was displaying very safe and accessible erotic nude photography. 

Not all nude photography is sexual or erotic, but even when not in an erotic pose, the simplicity of these neutral and natural nudes is still a thing of beauty to behold. This era would last for a few years until 2002 when genuine boudoir photography, a different style of nude imagery, started to become more commonplace. That style would eventually become MetArt’s trademark, evolving into what it is today; however nudes set in nature has become a legacy motif that we still enjoy. 

It has always been true that the image of a nude woman is a wonderful thing to behold and I wish to celebrate how evocative and beautiful and artistic MetArt’s early nudes were. No, you may not be able to get the same type of sexual gratification from them as you can from more recent work, but I strongly assert they are nevertheless gorgeous works of art that deserve our respect and admiration. 

Highlighted below are what I believe to be some of the best examples of this early work.

“Magic” by Jilles Villeprat (December 7, 2002)

If she wasn’t nude this could be a perfume ad. Excellent composition is key here in seeing how this image plays out. The flow of the tide has left its mark on the landscape. It’s no accident that the placement of the model complements nature’s fluidity. On a desolate beach, a naked girl stretches out in the sand. There is a wholesome purity to this; it’s an inoffensive, innocent and tasteful portrait of a living creature in its natural state.

“Ronin Mixed Gallery” by Ronin (December 15, 1999)

A model swims in a dark lake, floating through it like a water nymph. The dark overcast light occults the greenery of the aquatic grass beneath her. I admire how the right half of the photo absorbs all the light while the left side reflects it back, adding a shimmer to the surface. It’s so simple yet so beautiful. The texture of her skin smooth and solid, the texture of the water ever changing. There is nothing overtly sexual here yet it still delights the eyes.

“Ronin Erotic Essays” by Ronin (December 4, 2000)

I love the color and composition of this photograph. The model poses in a fetal manner, as if the earth itself had just birthed her. There is brilliant color contrasting here. The bright green moss, the dark wooden branches, and her in the center with her bright beautiful skin exposed to the elements of the world around her. As natural as natural gets.

“Magic” by Jilles Villeprat (December 7, 2002)

From Ancient Rome to the Renaissance and the neoclassical era, this motif of three nude women posed next to each other in this way is typically known as the Three Graces motif. They are Euphrosyne, Aglaea and Thalia, the daughters of Zeus. If you search for it you will find all sorts of variants of this exact composition. There is no way the photographer did this coincidentally; they meant to evoke the classical nude style that spans thousands of years. It’s a lovely photograph.

“Ronin Mixed Gallery” by Ronin (December 27, 1999)

Here is another outstanding example of what perfect composition looks like. There are four planes converging at once: the rocky surface on which she lies, her own beautiful body on the rock, the smooth skin against the rough texture of stone, the sea in front of her and the horizon of the sky to accompany it. It’s another photograph that repeats the theme of being in a natural Eden-like state with the world. And though it was perhaps unintentional the film grain of a non-digital photo like this also adds an extra layer of depth. For an added bonus, the model also has an excellent butt!

“Ronin: 2000 Series” by Ronin (Feb 22, 2000)

During the 18th and 19th Centuries, Neoclassical and Romanticism were the themes the painters of the world replicated. A brief definition is that they were meant to recreate fantastical and historical scenes of antiquity or reinterpret them in a contemporary way. This image, I feel, fits right into that style. The emotion just leaps off the screen. Like a sculpture by Antonio Canova or a painting by Luigi Crosio, there is a deep heart here yearning to be understood.

“Magic” by Jilles Villeprat (December 7, 2002)

There is a lot to admire in this minimalist photo. The way the model’s curvaceous hips are highlighted by the horizontal surface of the water. The way her wet hair drapes over her skin and back like a de facto natural shawl. The way the composition puts her in the top third of the photo leaving the bottom sections “blank” to add a sense of immersion. She is reclining on her side in the water, existing as woman that simply has to show her natural curve to entice the viewer. No further imagery of her other than this is necessary. This is a gorgeous photo.

“Magic” by Jilles Villeprat (December 7, 2002)

We are starting to get legitimately sexy here. This close up of a woman’s torso and upper body accentuates the perfection of the female form; her curves, her features, her youth, her skin, her simple yet intoxicating shape. It is theoretically a neutral image, especially in black and white, but admittedly here the shape of a woman is meant to awaken our natural instincts of pleasure seeking.

“Nymph” by Brian Peterson (August 23, 2002)

This photo is evocative of 19th Century nudes of the Romanticism movement. The still life elements such as the large pot, the wooden wardrobe and chest, the fruit, allude to the idea this is not something directly meant to evoke eroticism but rather the simple beauty of a woman’s body seen in a more neutral way. We are starting to cross the line from nude art towards erotic art.

“Flawless” by Voronin (July 28, 2002)

With this gallery we have entered MetArt’s boudoir photography stage. This early style is more reminiscent and recognizable as the genre we enjoy today, more than 20 years later. The trademark features are all here. The sultry look in the model’s eyes gazing back at us, the suggestive manner in which her hair is unkempt, her beautiful bare ass and breasts on full display, her sexy lace bustier hiding nothing but enticing to see, nonetheless. It was from early boudoir images such as this that MetArt would continue to grow its brand and still be here two decades later as the internet’s premier erotica site. Long may it continue.