Gay classical paintings
Ganymede was 'the fairest of mortal men; wherefore the gods caught him up on high to be cupbearer to Zeus by reason of his beauty, that he might dwell with the immortals.'
So says Homer in the Iliad. Throughout antiquity, there was a fascination with the tale of how Zeus, king of the gods, fell in love with a human boy. The scene of Zeus swooping down from Olympus to steal away Ganymede, acknowledged as 'The Rape of Ganymede', appeared on pottery, frescoes, statues and mosaics.
Zeus and Ganymede
c– BC, Attic red-figured kylix, attributed to the Penthesilea Painter. Ferrara Archaeological Museum
While many ancient depictions from Greece show two humans in the tale of Ganymede, the Romans favoured a version more in keeping with Zeus' fondness for wooing mortals in zoological form. According to the Roman poet Ovid:
'The king of the gods was once fired with treasure for Phrygian Ganymede, and when that happened Jupiter found another shape preferable to his own. Wishing to turn himself into a bird, he nonetheless scorned to change into any save that which can carry hi
Some LGBTQA+ artists own achieved world-renowned fame: Tom of Finland, David Hockney, Claude Cahun, and Glück, to name a few. However, there are many others whose work is less well-known but who provide key glimpses into the lives and struggles of their people. These artists showcase the sexual, secretive, radical/political, and heart wrenching-moments that many, if not all, members in the community have experienced. Moreover, there is still a stigma that clouds over both LGBTQA+ artists and the art itself. Fortunately, here at Thomas J. Watson Library, we collect an encyclopedic and comprehensive collection of materials on the history of art in the world. Our online catalogue provides a great starting place to find an ample amount of materials to investigate LGBTQA+ art. Here are a limited to get you started!
Jarrett Key is a Brooklyn-based visual artist. In his artist's book Trans (see above), Key explores signs and symbols with relation to transgender and gender identities and public restrooms.
Zanele Muholui is a South African artist whose photobook, Face Queer Impressions of Gustave Caillebotte Gustave Caillebotte may well not be the most famous of the French Impressionist painters. Born in and trained as a lawyer, he was also a naval architect, a sailor, a philatelist, a horticulturist &#; and a millionaire. In addition to entity known as a generous benefactor to his fellow painters, he was an important collector whose Cezannes, Degas, Manets, Monets, Pissarros, Renoirs, and Sisleys he left to France upon his death. The bequest was initially rejected but with some reluctance was finally accepted, and today forms the core collection of the Musée d’Orsay. He lived with his mother except for the last six years of his animation, never married, and after dying suddenly of a stroke in at the age of 45 left a bequest to Charlotte Berthier, said to be his mistress. Until relatively recently, his philanthropy and largesse have overshadowed his own painting. In , The National Gallery of Art, Washington and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco organized The Brand-new Painting: Impressionism which celebrated and recreated the eight group sh Art & PhotographyAnOther List TextAndy Stewart MacKay Tate Britain’s groundbreaking exhibition Queer British Art – unimaginable not so very long ago – focusses on art produced in a hundred-year period from the repeal of the old ‘Buggery Act’ in to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in This unique and timely exhibition explores how covert love and desire were expressed in a dangerously repressive culture where organism ‘queer’ could lead to imprisonment and death. Inspired by the sense of liberation artist Derek Jarman experienced in reclaiming a frightening and derogatory synonyms, ‘queer’ is now – as curator Clare Barlow points out – an inclusive critical frame of reference for ‘fluid identities and experiences’ that collapse outside mainstream traditions of gender and sexuality and one that should be celebrated. For audiences, queer or otherwise, art is about recognition. Consciously or nTen Pioneering Works of Gay Art That Changed History
As Tate's history-making exhibition opens tomorrow, we preview ten of the groundbreaking pieces that feature in the show