Michaelangelo was born in 1475 and died in 1564. As a young child, he was interested in painting and was trained under Ghirlandaio. He understood human anatomy by examining corpses. He first worked in Florence before working in Rome. The fresco painting on the Sistine Chapel was one of his most well-known work and it took four years to complete. Some people argue that the figures he painted are an example of his interest in men. Because of his Christian faith, that may have influenced his sexuality or how he expressed it. Along with other artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli, he was publicly charged with sodomy. They were offered certain services by their apprentices. He was known at the time for his love for Tommaso dei Cavalieri, who was in some of his drawings and mentioned in some of his poems. Gherardo Perini and Febo di Poggio possibly had a relationship with Michaelangelo as well. His descendants though have tried to cover these relationships when publishing his poems.
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Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 as an illegitimate son and he died in 1519. He was taught by Verrocchio to paint. Not only was he a painter, but he was also a scientist, mathematician, inventor, and the list goes on. Few of his paintings still exist because he constantly experiments. He was ahead of his time because he thought of a helicopter, a tank, and a calculator. For centuries, people have been debating Leonardo da Vinci’s sexuality. He was close to two of his assistants: Gian Giacomo Caprotti, or Salaí, and Francesco Melzi. Melsi, according to several people who have researched da Vinci, had a more father and son relationship with the artist. At the time of da Vinci, men having relationships with young boys were common. His relationship with Salaí similar in that nature. Like Michaelangelo and other artists, he was publicly accused of sodomy. It is unknown if he was in jail but it may have caused him to hide much of his private life.
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Emma Stebbins was born on September 1, 1815, to a wealthy family and died on October 25, 1882. Her family encouraged her to become an artist. She is well known for her sculptures, but she first worked with oil paints and watercolors. In Rome, she met the love of her life, Charlotte Cushman, who was a famous actress and supported her as an artist. When Stebbins was 42, she decided to become a professional artist and made dozens of marble sculptures. Also, she made two public works in bronze. Stebbins was given three public commissions, at that time that was the most a woman was given. Since she was a perfectionist and did all her sculptures herself, her health declined from inhaling marble dust over the years. In 1869, Cushman was diagnosed with cancer. She wasn’t able to fully stop the disease, which caused the couple to move back and forth from America and England. Despite their declining health and disapproving family members, the two refused to separate from each other. After Cushman died of pneumonia in 1876, Stebbins worked constantly to remind the public of her.
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He was born on October 9, 1840, and died on August 14, 1905. His Jewish family was artistic and influenced his work when he was young. Additionally, Pre-Raphaelites, Shakespeare, and the Bible influence his work. After distancing himself from his brother’s art studio, he was introduced to Algernon Charles Swinburne. His interest in classicism and erotica influenced his art. Soloman liked the style Aestheticism which focused on making art based on visual and sensual characteristics instead of on practical and moral. Since he lived in Victorian England, he explored his homosexuality through his artwork. At that time, homosexuals expressed themselves through code because having sex with the same gender was a crime. At the height of his career in 1873, he was arrested with George Roberts. They were arrested for sodomy and were put in jail. As a response, his family put him in two asylums but he was discharged. Later on, he shared a studio with his sister and exhibited in local galleries. His work is usually sexually and morally ambiguous. Throughout his life, his art has been photographed and as a result, he became popular in America.
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Tuke was born in 1858 to a Quaker family and died in 1929. He is known for painting English coasts and young men. In the 1970s, he became known and became an icon in the queer community. In 1883, he joined the Newlyn School of painters. They were interested in depicting everyday life in and around Cornwall. However, he distanced himself quickly because his style was more impressionistic. Around the 1880s, he along with other writers and artists began to identify themselves as Uranians. At that time, this referred to a person who was thought to have a female spirit in a male body. Uranians were interested in homosexual desire and were inspired by ancient Greece and pederasty. Creating work based on the ancient world allowed artists at the time to explore their desires without fearing persecution. Tuke did not paint many mythical themes but its influence is clear in his painting of local boys. He would try to create the ideal form of a male like Greek sculptors by changing the heads and bodies of models.
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Born in Wismar, Germany on September 19, 1856, to a wealthy Baron and died on February 16, 1931. He was educated in ancient civilizations and was interested in art and aesthetics. Because of tuberculosis, he was advised to move to a warmer and drier weather. He moved to Taormina, which was littered with remains of ancient civilizations. He set up a studio there and stayed in Taormina for the rest of his life, except in World War I. Von Gloeden hired the local youth to help maintain it and model for photos. He was most fond of Pancrazio Bucini or Il Moro. Il Moro was his most trusted assistant and companion. Because of his photography, he helped the town earn money from tourism. The town knew that he was homosexual and was not concerned about it because he has provided their sons’ money. His company was pleasant and whenever a family needed money, he would provide a job for them to do as an excuse to give them money. He used photography to express himself which was revolutionary at the time. Also, he used working-class boys and transformed them into classical models.
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