Henry Darger’s “Vivian Girls” (…) look like the angelic young girls of the magazines and media from Darger’s day, except he often rendered them with penises. Today, from our more gender-fluid point of view, they might be considered the earliest transgender superheroes. – Artsy
…Bourgeois’ sculpture was inspired by an eighteenth-century marble in the Louvre by F.A. Franzoni (Trone of a Priestess of Ceres), in which two winged sphinxes sit guarding a throne. Doing away with the head, arms and wings, Bourgeois (1911–2010) draws attention to the ambiguous sexuality of her creature, which she claimed was a symbolic self-portrait. The six breasts represent her nurturing role as a mother and wife, providing for her husband and three sons. While the claws symbolize the defensive matriarch, guarding those she loves, Bourgeois described the phallus as “the subject of my tender-ness … after all, I lived with four men … I was the protector.”… – Artspace
Guanyin of the Southern Sea, artist unknown, 11-12th Century AD
According to one legend, male same-sex love was introduced into Japan by the founder of the True Word (Shingon) sect of Japanese esoteric Buddhism, Kūkai. Historians however, point that this is probably not true, since Kūkai was an enthusiastic follower of monastic regulations. Some Bodhisattvas change sexes in different incarnations, which causes some to associate this to homosexuality and transgenderism. Guanyin, Avalokiteśvara, and Tara are known to have different gender representations. – Wikipedia; LGBT themes in mythology
Originally intended as a joke at the viewer’s expense, The Sleeping Hermaphroditus is an ancient marble sculpture depicting Hermaphroditus in life size. You can learn more about this artwork in this article in the New York Times.
If you’ve taken a class at the League you’ve received a friendly email from Lendy Hensley, our school’s provost. If you’ve been fortunate enough to have been in a class …
Designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the Statue of Liberty is in the Neoclassical style. Neoclassical figures generally convey a sense of calm and restraint. Emotional expression is often subdued, reflecting …
People posted hundreds of drawings for our 30 day January challenge, in which artists are invited to respond to a daily prompt posted on our V. Notes blog. Unlike other …
[image_with_animation image_url=”7901″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] I learned from the fabulous Suzanne Walker that this narrative painting “The Story of Joseph” by Biagio d’Antonio uses space as a representative for chronological time. …
Body of Art and Gender Fluidity
Henry Darger, Sansinia
Nature Study, Louise Bourgeois, 1996
Guanyin of the Southern Sea, artist unknown, 11-12th Century AD
Originally intended as a joke at the viewer’s expense, The Sleeping Hermaphroditus is an ancient marble sculpture depicting Hermaphroditus in life size. You can learn more about this artwork in this article in the New York Times.
Want to learn more about all of these artworks? Visit Artspace; The Art of Gender Fluidity.