Tom of Finland: between fetish and Gay vindication

If you have seen a black and white drawing that exalts the figure of a man, often in terms of fetish, it is probably a work by Tom of Finland. Let us tell you why his art is so important to the Gay community.

If you have seen drawings or illustrations of muscular men clad in uniforms or leather, you may not have known that they are likely the works of Tom of Finland (Kaarina, Finland, 8th May, 1920 – Helsinki, 7th November, 1991), a Gay artist who depicted homoerotic fetish. Both his life and his work are very interesting.

Tom’s art was associated with fetish: through his prodigious technique, he portrayed men in uniform, lumberjacks, cowboys, etc., creating Gay iconography. His art has survived the test of time, and today he is considered one of the most important Gay visual artists.

Turning secrecy into pride

One of the things that made Tom of Finland’s art more transcendent is that it made fetish — something that used to be lived in the obscurity of the Gay community — public . Through the figures of his hypermasculinized men, the artist sought to provoke and he succeeded.

Born on 8th May, 1920 and died in 1991, the artist lived in an era that was more difficult for the LGBT+ population than the one we live in now. In his native Finland, and in those times, he had to keep his sexuality private. He later sublimated this through his art.

He was also very clear that the body is a political vehicle, so he used the cult of the body as a tool to make our community visible. The leather subculture, which lived in the dark, proudly came to light thanks to his art. Beyond the fetish, Tom’s art was vindication for the Gay community.

SEE THE COMPLETE ARTICLE BY PAVEL GAONA

Published: 2nd December 2022

Categorised in: News