Joe Phillips: happily homoerotic art
» Imagery
Often I've begrudged heterosexuals the whimsical pin-up art of people like Gil Elvren, Vargas and Bernard of Hollywood. In a way Joe Phillips painting is too late. Recreation doesn't offer the same pleasure in the naοve and joyous as a product of the times long and best gone. The guy isn't to my own taste but I salute Phillips' effort and am glad that his site is back up.
Comments
Richard what does your commentary regarding Joe Phillips’ artwork mean? Are you suggesting that people are less inclined to enjoy images reflecting a simple and joyous life?
Posted by: lex wolfcraft | April 15, 2004 6:00 PM
You might say that I was expressing the wish that there were gay artists like Phillips back in the age of Vargas, Earl McPherson, Elvgren. Gay artists in the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s who could have created cheerful homoerotic art of those days.
The guy shaving with the dog about to reveal his manhood perfectly captures the spirit of what might have been. What might have struck you as complaint was my own personal feeling that recreating the mood of a time isn’t the same as work of the time. In heterosexul erotic art there is Olivia. As much as I can respect her technical prowess she isn’t doing much more than updating Vargas.
This isn’t an attempt to fault Phillips. Just expressing a long felt wish that what really couldn’t have been might have been. What Phillips has done in this drawing would make a good basis for a gay male calendar that creates images of men in the style of the cheesecake art of earlier decades.
Posted by: Richard | April 15, 2004 7:50 PM
What ever happened to Joe Phillips’s website?? I can’t even find him on the internet anymore!!
Posted by: Viking | February 6, 2005 3:18 AM