Banquet Scene from North Wall of the Tomb of the Diver, c. 480 BC
Art,  English,  Erotic

Gay Art: The evolution of emotional perception in homosexuality

Introduction video credit: Countdown counter numbers video of Dimitris Christou from Pixabay and Couple walking on the grass of Pavel Danilyuk from Pexels

The text below is the excerpt from the book Gay Art (ISBN: 9781785259340), written by James Smalls, published by Parkstone International.

Art and homosexuality may seem like a strange combination, but both phenomena have been part of human history from the beginning of time, or at least from the beginning of recorded civilisation…

It was through this and subsequent works by noted sexologists of the late nineteenth century that the term “homosexuality” acquired its medical and clinical connotations. Sexology refers to the study of human sexual behaviour before the codifications of modern psychology and psychoanalysis generated by the thoughts and writings of Sigmund Freud (see Gregory W. Bredbeck, “Sexology,” in Haggerty). It was not until the 1950s that “homosexuality” entered popular English and American usage, largely as a result of the Kinsey reports of 1948. Alfred Kinsey (1894-1956) was an American sex researcher whose scientific data on human sexuality challenged the prevailing notion that homosexuality was a mental illness.

Lucas Cranach the Elder, Fountain of Youth, 1546, Homosexual
Lucas Cranach the Elder, Fountain of Youth, 1546. Oil on lime panel, 122.5 x 186.5 cm. Staatliche Museen, Alte Meister, Berlin.

As a concept, “homosexuality” encompasses a variety of conflicting ideas about gender and same-sex sexual attraction. Its broad range of possible meanings is what makes it such an irresistible, powerful, and ambiguous term nowadays. In its modern sense, “homosexuality is at once a psychological condition, an erotic desire, and a sexual practice” (David Halperin, “Homosexuality,” in Haggerty). All three senses can and are expressed in artistic or aestheticised form. Homosexuality or, to employ a term of more recent invention, the “homoerotic,” can be understood as an actual or potential element in everyone’s experience, whatever the sexual orientation of the individual. The homosexual and the homoerotic frequently overlap but are not necessarily the same. Many of the images in this book might be classified as homoerotic rather than homosexual. “Homosexual” and “homoerotic” differ only in the root meanings of the terms “sexual” and “erotic”.

Rizi-i-Abbasi, Two Lovers, 1630, Homosexual
Rizi-i-Abbasi, Two Lovers, 1630. Miniature, tempera and gilding on paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Whereas “sexual” encompasses the physical act of sex, “erotic” is a concept that incorporates a range of ideas and feelings around same-sex wants, needs, and desires. It does not always culminate in the sexual act. The homoerotic, unlike the homosexual, legitimates erotic desire between members of the same sex by placing that sentiment in a context which rationalises it – such as in classicism, military battle, or athletic activities. Thus, in many situations the homoerotic is veiled and perceived as non-transgressive behaviour. Whereas all homosexuals experience homoerotic desire, not all who experience and, indeed, appreciate homoerotic desire are necessarily homosexuals. The homoerotic can sometimes be a frightening prospect for some heterosexuals to such a degree that it sometimes incites virulent homophobic responses.

The “homoerotic” is also linked to the more recent idea of the “homosocial”. Male homosociality refers to all-male groups or environments, and is a means by which men construct their identities and consolidate their privilege and social power as males usually through and at the expense of women (see Eve Sedgwick, Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire, New York, Columbia University Press, 1985). Indeed, female homosociality also exists, but the dynamics of it in relation to patriarchal culture are quite different.

Gustave Courbet, Sleep, 1866, Homosexual
Gustave Courbet, Sleep, 1866. Oil on canvas, 135 x 200 cm. Petit Palais – Musée des beaux-arts de la Ville de Paris, Paris.

Although male and female homosexuality are often treated separately, both are considered in this book. Throughout, the term “homosexuality” refers to male homosexuality unless “female” is specified. This is so because most societies are male-dominated and male-oriented, giving primacy to the sexual activities and development of men over women. In relationship to art about and by homosexual men, the “scarcity of art about or by lesbians reflects male domination of the cultural record” (Saslow). All of the art and literary evidence we have was the work of males and bear mostly on male activities.

The definition of homosexuality is further complicated by the differences between modern and pre-modern notions of the concept. There is considerable disagreement in contemporary literature on homosexuality over use of the word “homosexual” for same-sex relationships in non-Western, pre-modern and ancient periods. The word “homosexuality” is relatively young. Like the word “sexuality” itself, it describes a culturally determined and culturally constructed concept born of recent Western society. Thus, applying the concept “homosexuality” to history is bound to force modern and Western concepts of self and other onto the ancient and pre-modern world. In most pre-modern and ancient cultures, there is no word to denote a state of being homosexual or to describe a homosexual act.

The Swimming Hole, 1885, Homosexual
Thomas Eakins, The Swimming Hole, 1885. Oil on canvas. Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas.

Any attempt to fit male representations in ancient art or texts with the status or practices of modern-day homosexuals would be anachronistic. Also, the modern notion of “homosexuality” is loaded with a negative moral stigma that clouds any positive or pleasurable appreciation of male-male or female-female sexual culture in pre-modern societies. However, even though the ancients may not have had in mind the modern concept of “homosexual” and “homosexuality”, this does not negate the fact that homosexuality and indeed homophobia did exist…

See more on LGBT art here:

National LGBT Museum

GLBT Historical Society

Queer Britain

The American LGBTQ+ Museum

To get a better insight into Gay Art, please continue this exciting adventure by clicking on Amazon USAmazon UKAmazon Australia, Amazon FrenchAmazon GermanAmazon MexicoAmazon ItalyAmazon SpainAmazon Canada, Amazon JapanAmazon BrazilAmazon NetherlandsParkstone InternationalKoboBarnes & NobleGoogleAppleOverdrive, BookbeatEllibsEbooks.com, Bookmate, ProQuest, The Great British Book Shop

Explore some books of our Erotic Art collection:

Parkstone International is an international publishing house specializing in art books. Our books are published in 23 languages and distributed worldwide. In addition to printed material, Parkstone has started distributing its titles in digital format through e-book platforms all over the world as well as through applications for iOS and Android. Our titles include a large range of subjects such as: Religion in Art, Architecture, Asian Art, Fine Arts, Erotic Art, Famous Artists, Fashion, Photography, Art Movements, Art for Children.

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