Ancient homosexual art
From the title of this post, you might reflect I&#;m going to communicate about that scene from Maurice set at the British Museum. Considering there&#;s a movie adaptation of Maurice, there&#;s a chance I still might. No, in this Museum Adventure, I&#;m talking about another lgbtq+ scene at the Museum. This one.
I found this vase in a part of the museum I had never visited before; room 20a. It&#;s a mezzanine floor that is always closed off whenever I seem to be around. I&#;ve been at the museum for years now, so finally being competent to go up there was quite something!
The walls were densely crammed with Greek pottery and the mezzanine gave me a view of the Caryatid from the Acropolis that I had never seen before. I took my time, savouring the views and keeping an eye out for any absorbing pieces.
It&#;s clear why this one jumped out at me!
The longer I looked, the more questions I had about the depicted scene; what&#;s going on with those crowns? what is that walking stick for?
As I usually complete in times like this, I turned to the label for more knowledge. It told me this:
Homosexuality in art: a journey between ancient and contemporary times
Homosexuality in ancient and modern art masterpieces has always been a debated topic that still arouses the interest of scholars and art lovers.
Many of the excellent artists of antiquity and the Renaissance painted erotic scenes between people of the same sex: in ancient cultures often explicitly; in the Renaissance, however, more cryptically, given the prevailing homophobia in those times that, in many cases, led homosexual people to prison or the death penalty. Homosexuality in modern art has, on the other hand, been a driving force behind many of the greatest artistic expressions of the 20th century and has had an important political function, contributing to the creation of an alternative culture and the strife for civil rights for the LGBTQIA+ community.
In this article, we will examine how art has represented homosexuality over the centuries and how it has influenced popular culture.
Homosexuality in ancient art
In many ancient cultures, homosexuality was acknowledged and even celebrate
The queer history of art
💡 Key insights
- Same-sex relationships hang out back to prehistoric times and throughout history, expressions of queerness have existed alongside heterosexuality.
- The portrayal of homosexuality in art varied depending on the identity and historical period
- Depictions of same-sex affection provides clues about the lives and experiences of LGBTQIA+ people in the past.
To celebrate Lgbtq+ fest Month, we'll be continuing our series about queer persona, LGBTQ+ rights, and queer art history.
We've already covered the topics of The Flags of Pride and Inspiring Gay Cartoon Characters.
In the next and last installment of our Pride Month series, we'll cover the subject of queer art history. We'll start at the dawn of humanity and finish with the current times.
**Disclaimer: ** This article discusses adult topics such as human sexuality and erotic expression through art and design.
Art is a depiction and expression of life. Sexuality is an integral part of life. Historically, the depiction of erotic love has always been one of art
Male Homosexuality in Western Art
Homosexuality is still an underrepresented topic in art historical discourse. Since our magazine stands for inclusivity, we strive to present to you works that might be omitted in a traditional art history course. We have already published a piece on lesbianism in art. Today it’s time for male homosexuality in art.
Ancient Education
Warren Cup, named after its first modern owner, depicts a characteristic Roman banquet scene: probably an older, or more experienced bloke, engages in sex with a beardless younger man. Such practices were very common in Roman high society. Older men picked adolescent boys to mentor and educate them in the art of loving and living. They would grant political influence in return for physical pleasures. Firstly, they would all participate in a feast, eat and guzzle (from cups like this one), the young boys entertaining the older men with their singing, dancing and recital of poetry (you can see the lyre on the left). Homosexuality was so much part of everyday life to the extent that the Romans didn’t even hold a word for