Dirty Pictures

Introduction

The Author's Intro
Excerpts:
  •  
    		• "See Dick Run"
  •  
    		• "Being Sexed is Hard Work"
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    		• "The Emperor's Old Clothes?"
  •  
    		• "I Love a Man in Uniform"
    Illustrations:
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    		• Tom Picture #1
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    		• Tom Picture #2
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    		• Tom Picture #3
  •  
    		• Tom Picture #4
  •  
    		• Tom Picture #5
  •  
    		• Tom Picture #6

    Letter From the Editor

    Editorial: Having Our Say

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    Dirty Pictures Dirty Pictures:
    Tom of Finland, Masculinity, and Homosexuality

     
    By Micha Ramakers


     The art of Touko Laaksonen (1920 – 1991), famous throughout the world as Tom of Finland, has had an incredible and defining impact upon the culture at large – an impact that arguably exceeds that of any other artist working in the latter half of the 20th century.

    It is perhaps even more remarkable that Tom of Finland was not a traditional fine artist – his work was most commonly regarded as gay pornography, and rightly so. Yet it is art that not only had a tremendous impact upon the emerging gay culture worldwide but whose erotic and emotional power remains unabated to this day.

    In the groundbreaking study, Micha Ramakers explores the work and its effect upon the culture at large. Lavishly illustrated with more than 80 drawings and photographs, Dirty Pictures is lively and entertaining. It encompasses the rise of the gay movement, the world of fine art, the function and functioning of pornography and the incredible impact of the artist known as Tom of Finland. For millions of fans throughout the world, as well as those unfamiliar with Tom of Finland’s art, this study brings uncommon insight into a decidedly uncommon body of work.

    Micha Ramakers is an art historian and international gay activist. He has been a writer and editor for a number of gay and lesbian magazines and curator of the Brussels gay and lesbian film festival. His recent publications include Tom of Finland: The Art of Pleasure (Taschen, 1998) and a piece in We Are Everywhere: A Historical Sourcebook in Gay and Lesbian Politics ed. by Mark Blasius and Shane Phelan (Routledge, 1997). He lives in Brussels, Belgium.

    Click on a thumbnail to see images from Dirty Pictures

     

    Curious for more? Read some excerpts from the table of contents:

    The Author's Introduction

    1. See Dick Run: The Pornographer and the Culture Brokers
    2. The Dark Mirror of Art?
    3. Being Sexed is Hard Work
    4. Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
    5. The Emperor’s Old Clothes?
    6. I Love A Man in a Uniform (I Need An Order)
    7. The Streets are the Battleground
    8. Beat Me Up, Scottie

    Chronology of Exhibitions
    Notes
    Bibliography
    Illustration Credits
    Index

     

    Copyright © 2000 St. Martin's Press.


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