I was thrilled when I first found out about the artist known as Tom of Finland.

He is perhaps the most famous artist of the 20th century for gay adult men. His prolific creations, which were born of post-World War II European sensibilities, demonstrate a most definite respect for (and awe of) highly masculine males.

He also does not shy away from male-on-male brutality and violence in the context of sexual conquests. Tom of Finland is often remembered for his vividly depictions of the homoerotic aspects of Nazi Germany during the 1940s, especially uniformed men with intense masculinity.

He is also one of the most prominent artists to explore the gay male’s lust for masculine cowboys in sexual situations involving danger, fear, and violence.

The heterosexual majority certainly may choose to shun surreal depictions of male instincts and behaviors towards other males involving fear, violence, and sexuality. Yet, these were brought unashamedly to the public in print media during the middle of the 20th century by Tom of Finland.

What mainstream society chooses to avoid, however, should hold little persuasive value to us gay men, per se. We gay men have always known how to be honest about what we like and we are at our best when we go after what we like passionately. I recommend that we gay men should take time to learn about artists like Tom of Finland in his particular context in Europe during the era of Nazi Germany, but especially because his surreal masculine male art survived him and likely will be remembered for decades into the future.

Explore the works of Tom of Finland further using this website’s LINKS section for gay adult men.

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