Crucifixion of Jesus - Gustave Doré (1866)

Allegorical Figure of Faith, Paolo Veronese (16th Century)

Dante and Beatrice, Salvatore Postiglione (1861-1906)

Oil on canvas

Circe Invidiosa by John William Waterhouse (1892)

Before his untimely death at age 38, Caravaggio painted himself in many guises, most frequently as the Greek god of wine, Bacchus. In the last year of his life, he decided to include a self-portrait in a depiction of the victorious David proffering Goliath’s severed head – one of several versions Caravaggio made of the biblical story. This iteration offers an unexpected level of emotional nuance to a usually gory, black-and-white tale of “might vs. right.” Here, Caravaggio is not the youthful, good-looking David, but the defeated Goliath, his slack-jaw mouth confirming his slaughter. Instead of a look of satisfied victory on his face, David appears pensive and a bit mournful, perhaps even regretful, as he gazes at his prize. Scholars have surmised that the model for the young hero was Cecco, Caravaggio’s studio assistant and purported lover. The painting, then, has an unexpected psychosexual intimacy to it, one that is reiterated by David’s sword, standing suggestively erect between his legs. (source)

The Evening Angel, Alexandre Cabanel, 1848

By Roberto Ferri (2023)

Roberto Ferri

Foreboding - Mieczystaw Jakimowicz (1907)

[Achille by Roberto Ferri]

Yannis Tsarouchis, Sailor reading, 1981.

Cynthia Close, “Queer Art Takes Center Stage in ‘The First Homosexuals’” in MUSEUM March 28, 2023 Posted in Art & Object April 14,2023