100 Hero: Tom of Fland. The gay man who created art that helped shape queer inty and sire.
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The Fnish artist known by the psdonym Tom of Fland changed the way the public saw the gay muny through his bold homoerotic works. Here we take... * gay art of finland *
The Fnish artist known by the psdonym Tom of Fland changed the way the public saw the gay muny through his bold homoerotic works. Born Too Laaksonen, Tom of Fland was famed for his “no holds barred” portrayal of gay them. His body of ic strip works is not only celebrated by the gay muny; they have also been adopted by the mastream for advertorial purpos.
After reprisg his studi the mid 1950s, Tom began to termtently subm sketch and drawgs to Physique Pictorial – a magaze for gay men. Given this creased liberaly, the beefke dtry waned, and Tom reacted by creatg more homoerotic and explic imag to adapt to the changg climate and reta his mercial edge. What followed was the steady rvg of the remarkable legacy he was to leave on gay culture; a legacy based upon assertg a romanticized ia of mascule gay imagery prevly overlooked.
This excg approach to homoerotic art was nsired revolutnary; gone were the effemate, weakened imag of men pertag to a gay stereotype, and stead me Tom’s strong, chiseled, hyper-mascule figur.
* gay art of finland *
Tom of Fland’s gift to gay culture is sentially one of sexual emancipatn. For the members of society stgglg wh the image of gay people prevly perpetuated by the media, Tom opened a bold, shy new door to the ‘club’ of tradnal masculy.
He created figureheads of a new mascule gay culture which not only strengthened the fight agast social stigma but were nsired refully crafted works of skillful art themselv.