I saw an exhibit of Medieval tapestries in 1996. ‘ A younger male makes love to high-ranked geisha while a mature samurai penetrates him‘ (c.1820s) by Keisai Eisen (1790-1848) One Goes As One Goes, Then One Shall See Before then, words for “homosexual” did not exist with the same-sex classification that we have all learned. But these needs only arose in the late 19th century and into the first part of the 20th century. Terms such as “same- sex attraction” and “homosexual” and “gay” are remarkably modern terms that mainly derive from socio-political agendas, and the need to make psychological and medical classifications of behaviors. From the sexual liberation of the 1960s through the insightful views about the social construction of gender, we have all needed to unlearn so many of the things we were merely socialized into thinking we understood. The sociology about sexuality in the modern culture has been a strong undercurrent for my generation.
My specific interest in nanshoku images exaggerates this sociological curiosity because it was clearly a taboo topic nested within a taboo subject. ‘ Heterosexual couple with gay interference‘ (c.1825) by Yanagawa Shigenobu (1787-1832) Nanshoku I have other interests: late 19th Century pen and ink illustrators and WW2-era editorial cartoons. I do not have the resources to go after any recognized masters, but I do enjoy identifying artists, particularly young artists, whom I think have exceptional talent (Abbey Ryan is a painter, and at the top of that list). Other genres in which I have interests are artworks by the so-called “street artists” (Faile, Evan Hecox, Breed, Grafter, ASVP). We will get to shunga and Japanese woodblock printing in a moment.
I had another series, a full strip called Under The Hood, from 1996-1999, in the now-defunct magazine titled The Chemical Intelligencer.
In fact, my first ten professional publications in the Journal of Chemical Education was a series of editorial cartoons called Animated Alchemy, in 1978. I am a rank amateur artist, myself, although I have managed to get a few of my cartoons published as illustrations accompanying articles for which friends needed some art. Original page from a comic of ‘ The Fantastic Four‘ (Marvel Comics) Amateur Artist