Art is saturated with sexual energy, according to artists Bruce Stewart and Manuel Palacio who spoke at a recent lunchtime lecture at the Bermuda National Gallery.

The pair discussed some of their more recent works -- Mr. Stewart's painting entitled "Adam and Eve After the Fall'' and Mr. Palacio's as-yet-unfinished bronze of two naked figures kissing.

"I try to make sexy art,'' said Mr. Palacio. "Sexuality has a lot to do with creation and that's what art is about.'' He noted that his two bronze nudes on display at the Gallery was an extension of his own creative energy and a physical manifestation of the pride he has about his heritage.

"I think what I am is beautiful and that will work toward everything that I do...I want my art to reflect me,'' he added.

"Being Western, Puritanism restricts how we express ourselves in a lot of ways. In my household (growing up), you couldn't talk about (sexuality) -- but as an artist, my job is to foster more freedom of expression.'' Mr. Stewart said Mr. Palacio's art was closer to Eastern styles than European traditions in the sense that it portrayed sensual pleasure between two people instead of fixing women as objects.

And the two discussed the difference between being "naked'' and being "nude'' -- with nakedness as being revealing, whereas nudes are about being objects on display.

Mr. Stewart said the intersection of religion and sexuality played a big part in influencing his art.

"It's the concept that the two shall become one flesh -- and so do the spirits fuse into oneness,'' he said.

"We are created to create, and created to procreate. It's fun because God made it so, but I think we haven't even discovered the deepest part of the fun yet -- it's still coming,'' he added.

Referring to his painting on Adam and Eve, he stated: "She's looking at him because she loves him, and he's looking away because he's trying to imagine a future for them... they've sinned and fallen out of the garden, but they are still a man and woman of God who must go on into the future,'' he said.