Two Nudes into the Forest (the planet earth Itself) (1939), Frida Kahlo
Reader matter: ‘I’m wondering about lesbian art, for example. art depicting lovers that are lesbian. Exactly what are a number of the earliest samples of this? The reason I’m asking is because we all know a lot about homosexuality between males back many years ago, and I also have actually even heard some individuals say that homosexuality between ladies is really a “modern phenomenon”.’
It is a topic that is important me personally. That’s because we, the art historian behind this website, are actually a queer girl. (not quite a big shocker to whoever understands me personally.)
Which means I’m always in search of representations of relationships and identities like my personal in art, news and pop tradition. But while art history is full of opposite-sex love tales, think about lesbian along with other queer feminine visibility in art? Could it be even here after all?
The clear answer is: yes, needless to say it’s. While you might have heard individuals state that lesbianism is really a “modern phenomenon”, that is not really the truth.
Nonetheless, it is correct our present some ideas of intimate orientation are a contemporary (and Western) occurrence. Therefore, me start with a very brief explanation of the history of queer female identity as a whole before I go into lesbianism in art history, let.
Before 18 th – 19 th century Europe, types of “homosexual”, “heterosexual” and “bisexual” didn’t occur – at the least perhaps not with those names. Those who were interested in the same sex in the 18 th and 19 th centuries, people were very interested in “deviant” sexualities: the sexuality of children, criminals, and, of course. (see Michel Foucault’s the annals of Sexuality Vol. 1, 1976, to learn more.) There was clearly a desire that is increasing categorize and label these sexualities. The initial instance that is known of word “homosexual” getting used ended up being consequently not until 1868, in Germany. Bisexuality, meanwhile, wasn’t utilized to “attraction to men and women” until ca. 1892.
But, even though words “homosexual”/”heterosexual”/”bisexual” didn’t occur until this time around, labels for various intimate orientations have existed, across countries, for years and years. 19 th century European social groups didn’t exactly appear from nowhere. Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwai, inside their guide sex that is same in Asia: Readings from Literature and History, argue from the proven fact that sex labels started in the western. They list the many terms which have existed throughout Indian history to designate those who have periodic and sometimes even lifelong choices when it comes to exact same sex. Even yet in the western, terms like “tribade” or “sapphist” (both talking about females) had been being used a long time before the 18 th century.
Ladies who have sexual intercourse and/or intimate relationships along with other females have constantly existed, simply in numerous contexts that are social. What I’m interested in in this essay, consequently, is actually representations of females who may have had intimate and/or relationships that are romantic other ladies.
I’ve divided these depictions into four split themes: Lesbianism as Erotica, Lesbianism as Anthropological research, Ambiguous Lesbianism, and Self-representation.
Disclaimer: i personally use the word that is“queer than “lesbian” in the most common of the article. It is because “queer” functions as an umbrella term for just about any individual within the community that is LGBTQ+ and lets me add all female-presenting those who could be such a thing other than heterosexual. I take advantage of the term “lesbianism” to suggest activity that is“sexual women”, not to ever explain the identification of this individuals included.
I’d also want to offer a basic content warning for functions of homophobia and, in a single situation, intimate attack which are talked about within the post.
Lesbianism as Erotica (NSFW)
This might be probably the most typical form of depiction of lesbianism in most of art history. DEFINITELY. And like numerous kinds of lesbian erotica today, art that is most historic lesbian erotica had been produced by (and likely made for) guys. This leads us up to a problem that is huge learning feminine homoeroticism: throughout the majority of history, and across numerous countries, females have now been second-class residents. They will have seldom been the musicians or even the main customers of art. Which means we have very idea that is little of the experiences and feelings of females actually had been. Almost all of everything we have actually when it comes to queer feminine representation are men’s ideas of exactly what feminine sex looks like.
That does not imply that these representations aren’t helpful. They provide us the right a few ideas of just what feminine experiences that are same-sex like and just how they certainly were seen by culture.
Decoration on a vessel that is ceramicc. 515 – 495 B.C.E.), Apollodoros. Image from Art and Homosexuality: a past history of some ideas, pp. 18
Among the earliest types of lesbian erotica is an ancient greek ceramic vessel from c. 515 – 495 B.C.E. It shows two women that are naked one standing plus one kneeling while watching other and manually stimulating her genitals.
Much has needless to say been manufactured from the acceptance of male homosexual behavior in ancient Greece, but there’s strikingly small information on feminine same-sex relations. As opposed to produce divisions between individuals such as for instance “homosexual” and “heterosexual”, the greeks that are ancient divided them up into “the penetrator” (a category reserved for residents, a.k.a. Greek adult men) and “the penetrated” (including non-citizens such as for example slaves, young males and, needless to say, females). Lesbianism clearly does not squeeze into this paradigm.
Overall, the attitudes on ladies who had intercourse with ladies are not yet determined. Plato, in the Symposium, introduces ladies who have actually sex/relationships along with other females as a split category, therefore we realize that it did happen. Nonetheless, considering just just exactly how few liberties females had all together in ancient Greece it would appear that lesbianism had been generally speaking frowned upon. While you will find a huge selection of vases representing male homoeroticism, just two – such as the one above – have now been unearthed that express feminine homoeroticism.
Sex Toys and Dildos
Image from Kinoe no komatsu (Young Pine Saplings) (1814) , Katsushika Hokusai
Japanese shunga (erotic art) is especially well-known for offering us representations of strap-ons and dildos. You could understand Katsushika Hokusai by their woodblock printing the fantastic Wave off Kanagawa (1820s); nevertheless, he had been also often made shunga that is erotic. One of these simple, from their 1814 shunga guide series asian mail order brides Kinoe no komatsu (Young pine saplings) shows a same-sex feminine couple participating in sex making use of a double-ended harigata (dildo).
Image from Fumi no Kiyogaki ( versions of Calligraphy) (1801), Chokyosai Eiri (Pictures from History / Bridgeman graphics)
Thirteen years earlier in the day, in 1801, Japanese printing musician Chokyosai Eiri depicted a same-sex feminine few utilizing a strap-on. This particular strap-on vibrator had been meant to be utilised by ladies either together or alone (in the event that girl had been alone, she’d make use of it by tying it to her ankle). In Eiri’s work, one of many females can be keeping a container by having a cream inside – some form of lubricant – and she’s saying (based on the expressed terms written from the work close to her), ‘Seeing as we’re likely to take action such as this, I’ll put many of the cream upon it. Therefore actually make yourself come. This big you would perhaps not get in. minus the cream’
In Ming dynasty Asia (1550 – 1650), erotic art ended up being elegant and beautifully produced. Erotic pictures had been painted on silk and collected into handbooks. Most of them depicted lesbianism, drawing regarding the intimate relationships recorded among feamales in palace harems.
The below scene, painted on silk, originates from a 1640 record album and depicts two females utilizing an ivory double-ended vibrator. Chinese erotic scenes had been frequently occur gardens similar to this one, associating the sexual intercourse because of the religious connection between nature and also the body that is human. (I unfortuitously could perhaps not find any reproduction that is good of an added than the blurry one you notice under.)
Two ladies having sex (c. 1640), unknown musician. Image from images and Passions: a brief history of Homosexuality into the Visual Arts, pp. 137
Most likely my representation that is favourite of vibrator arises from Mughal Asia. It may be present in a 17 th century Persian translation of an Indian intercourse manual, the Ratirahasya or even the Koka Shastra (translated into English as “Secrets of Love”). The Ratirahasya was written for medieval Indian society unlike the Kamasutra, which was a more ancient Hindu text. The handbook was fantastically sex positive when it came to same-sex representations like the Kamasutra.
Lesbian allegory (seventeenth century), unknown miniaturist that is persian. Image from images and Passions: A History of Homosexuality in Visual Arts, pp. 126
The above mentioned image had been an example of a scene where the bow and arrow ended up being metaphorically – not literally – supposed to do something being an allegory for a lady same-sex place making use of a vibrator.