Ancient gay art

Male Homosexuality in Western Art

Homosexuality is still an underrepresented topic in art historical discourse. Since our magazine stands for inclusivity, we struggle 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 typical Roman banquet scene: probably an older, or more experienced male, 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 affect in return for physical pleasures. Firstly, they would all participate in a feast, eat and drink (from cups like this one), the young boys entertaining the older men with their singing, dancing and recital of poetry (you can notice the lyre on the left). Homosexuality was so much part of everyday life to the extent that the Romans didn’t even have a synonyms for

The queer history of art

💡 Key insights

  • Same-sex relationships date back to prehistoric times and throughout history, expressions of queerness have existed alongside heterosexuality.
  • The portrayal of homosexuality in art varied depending on the culture and historical period
  • Depictions of same-sex intimacy provides clues about the lives and experiences of LGBTQIA+ people in the past.

To celebrate Pride Month, we'll be continuing our series about queer identity, LGBTQ+ rights, and queer art history.

We've already covered the topics of The Flags of Pride and Inspiring Queer 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

Depictions of Queer Art throughout History

Queer art has a prolonged history. Here are some prominent examples of how LGBTQ+ was depicted in art throughout history.

Although different artwork has been focusing on becoming more inclusive in recent history, LGBTQ+ depictions verb been around for a while.

In honor of Pride Month, we motivate you to understand more about various depictions of LGBTQ+ in paintings, photos, and other art throughout history. It is truly remarkable how queer culture thrived throughout art history, suppressed though the community may have been.

Sleeping Hermaphroditus

Hermaphroditus is known in mythology as the son of Aphrodite and Hermes, and as the god of hermaphrodites. Having both female and male features, Hermaphroditus is among the earlier works of art that depict a different view of gender than the binary male and female concepts of gender. 

Sleeping Hermaphroditus refers to a marble sculpture from ancient times that was placed on a mattress sculpted later on in  

This sculpture, which shows Hermaphroditus lounging, is based on

Homosexuality in art: a journey between ancient and contemporary times

Homosexuality in ancient and adj 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 key political function, contributing to the creation of an alternative culture and the struggle for civil rights for the LGBTQIA+ community.

In this article, we will explore how art has represented homosexuality over the centuries and how it has influenced accepted culture.

Homosexuality in ancient art

In many ancient cultures, homosexuality was accepted and even celebrate