Touko Laaksonen (8
May 1920 – 7 November 1991), best known by his pseudonym Tom
of Finland, was a Finnish artist
notable for his stylized homoerotic fetish art and
his influence on late twentieth century gay culture. He has been called the
"most influential creator of gay pornographic images" by cultural
historian Joseph W. Slade.
Over
the course of four decades he produced some 3500 illustrations, mostly
featuring men with exaggerated primary and secondary sex traits with tight or
partially removed clothing.
During his lifetime and beyond,
Laaksonen's work has drawn both admiration and disdain from different quarters
of the artistic community. Laaksonen developed a friendship with gay
photographer Robert
Mapplethorpe, whose work depicting sado-masochism and fetish iconography was
also subject to controversy.
A
controversial theme in his drawings was the erotic treatment of men in Nazi
uniforms. They form a small part of his overall work, but the typically
flattering visual treatment of these characters has led some viewers to infer
sympathy or affinity for Nazism, and they have been omitted from most recent
anthologies of his work. Later in his career Laaksonen disavowed this work and
was at pains to dissociate himself and his work from fascist or racist
ideologies. He also depicted a significant number of black men in his drawings,
with no overt racial or political message in the context in which they appear;
although they bear some commonality with racist caricatures of
the "hypersexual" black male, these traits are shared by Laaksonen's
white characters as well.
Art
critics have mixed views about Laaksonen's work. His detailed drawing technique
has led to him being described as a 'master with a pencil', while in contrast a
reviewer for Dutch newspaper Het Parool described
his work as 'illustrative but without expressivity'.
There
is considerable argument over whether his depiction of 'supermen' (male
characters with huge sexual organs and muscles) is facile and distasteful, or
whether there is a deeper complexity in the work which plays with and subverts
those stereotypes. For example, some critics have noted instances of apparent
tenderness between traditionally tough, masculine characters, or playful smiles
in sado-masochistic scenes.
In
either case, there remains a large constituency who admire the work on a purely
utilitarian basis, as described by Rob Meijer, owner of a leather shop
and art gallery in Amsterdam, "These works are not conversation pieces,
they're masturbation pieces."
Writing
for Artforum,
Kevin Killian said that seeing Tom of Finland originals “produces a strong
respect for his nimble, witty creation”. Kate Wolf writes that “Tom of Finland
helped pave the way to gay liberation”.
Thank you Dear Ella for these interesting cards.
