Tom of Finland - The Art of Pleasure 1998 Hardcover Edition by Taschen

Description: The original, 1989 edition. Printed in Italy eBay provided description: His art is about high-octane masculinity, with every straining muscle of these muscular bodies lovingly detailed under clothing about to rip apart at the seams. And that includes the crucial zone below the belt, both fore and aft. There was nothing ambiguous about Tom of Finland's interest in his objects of desire: ""lf I don't have an erection when I'm doing a drawing, I know it's no good"", he himself said. The eroti-cism is naked, even aggressive. The poses inevitably consigned his work to the pornography shelves, and the walls of leather bars in the gay scene. So far there has been no account of the artistic virtuosity of his work. The present volume traces the life and career of this important artist. Born in southern Finland, Tom played the piano at local coffee shops to supplement his income as a graphic artist until his watercolors of male sexuality began to appear as covers on major American gay publications. His impact as an artist has since stretched far beyond the gay scene. English text from the dust cover The revolution began in 1957. A picture by Tom of Finland (1920-1991) on the front cover of the American magazine"Physique Pictorial" sent cataclysmic currents through the gay world. Tom's drawings and watercolours of handsome hunks, bursting with vigour and self-esteem and giving their lust free rein, released gay men from the traditional, restrictive image they had of themselves. Effeminacy, reserve, secrecy and guilt-feelings have no place in Tom's world. To quote a 1994/95 exhibition catalogue, "Ever since spring 1957, Tom has done more to raise the consciousness, arouse the pride, and erect the penises of gay men than anyone else in recent history." Tom of Finland had a subversive influence: he was up for anything. In over 30 years of creative activity, he experienced the gradual arrival of his gay Utopia. This book is the most comprehensive monograph on Tom of Finland ever published, presenting every phase of his career, from the excited sketches of a young boy in Finland to his last drawings in America. MICHA RAMAKERS (born 1966) is an art historian. He has written extensively on the work of Tom of Finland and other visual expressions of post-war gay subcultures. He has been a writer and editor for a number of gay and lesbian magazines and a contributor to several books on international lesbian and gay politics. He has also been the curator and director of the gay and lesbian film festival in Brussels, where he lives.

Price: 340 CAD

Location: Bedford, Nova Scotia

End Time: 2024-10-21T19:06:54.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A CAD