Vintage Original Color Lithograph. Not digital not reproduction.
Printed in
full color that carefully duplicated the original oils on
heavy stock, a 16x20 print area and margins. 22"x17" thus.
Provenance: Tom of Finland Foundation ~ Uncirculated, rolled ~ My personal collection
“ Preludio ” 1953 by George Quaintance (1902-1957)
If asked to name Quaintance's masterpiece, most choose either Siesta or Preludio.
Quaintance thought so too, because those were the first two
canvases of his "Male Physique" period that he chose to reproduce as
color lithographs. He had always sold 8x10 black and white photos of his canvases to a
public that had an unquenchable thirst for them — his mailing list was
said to number over 10,000 names. Later, acceding to the demand for
color reproductions, he began to sell color chromes, or slides, of the
paintings. But the lithographs were new territory.
One early ad for Siesta
bore this copy: "Because Mr. Quaintance feels 'Siesta' is his finest
and most inspired work, he wishes to keep it exclusive to sincere
admirers of his art. Therefore it will not be shown in PHYSIQUE
PICTORIAL or any other publication distributed to the general public."
The first edition quickly sold out and a second edition was printed,
although the quantities (and the printer) remain unknown.
Advertising copy for Preludio was equally fulsome with praise: "Art Critics
of two continents pronounce 'Preludio' the supreme masterpiece of all
the Quaintance paintings. The compelling drama of this great work should
be enjoyed in its full and brilliant coloring."
In the late 1990s, the Tom of Finland Foundation came into possession
of all the unsold copies of both lithographs and offered them to the
public — but at a substantially higher price. Today, the original canvases reside on opposite sides of the continent — Siesta in a collection in Los Angeles and Preludio in a collection in New York City.
Taking advantage of the new burst of gay consciousness expressed in physical culture known as beefcake in post-World War
II America, Quaintance and Garcia began marketing black-and-white
photographs of his near-nude models and color prints of the paintings.
In 1953, he wrote a friend that "business has grown to fantastic
proportions in the last few months and truly I'm practically out of my
mind trying to keep up with it."
In 1953, Quaintance painted a series based on bull fighting with a dark,
handsome matador. The model was Angel Avila, one of several swarthy
Latinos who became artist lovers outside of his continuing
relationship with his first love, Victor Garcia. In a letter to a friend
dated April 27, 1953, Quaintance wrote that the paintings "were done in
turmoil, in passion--I might even say in emotional agony."
This
trio of paintings--Preludio, Gloria, and Moribundo--may have reflected
the course of the love affair from its prelude to its physical
fulfillment to its death-like ending.
(for referencenot for sale)
His highly prized paintings--numbering just
55--rarely come to auction, instead selling privately for undisclosed
sums.
As the preeminent 'male physique' artist of the 1940s and early
'50s, his work for Physique Pictorial, Demi-Gods and Body Beautiful
inspired a generation of artists like Tom of Finland, Harry Bush,
Etienne, and other, lesser stars in their constellation. The paintings are among the best
in the Quaintance oeuvre, rising above the almost cartoon-like
depictions of cowboys and Roman slaves.
One of the great classic prints by that early pioneer and towering figure of gay erotic art, George Quaintance. In this day and age it is hard to imagine the impact these images had on gay men of the 1950s as a pressure built on them (and American society as a whole) that would result in the twin explosions known as the Sexual Revolution, and Gay Liberation. One would be foolish to mistake this for camp. Something much deeper is at work here if you care to read it. The recognition of Desire, the acknowledgment of Self, the encounter with Truth. 16 x 20, unframed.
George Quaintance (1902-1957) was a gay American painter, photographer and sculptor who produced a large body of homoerotic art of an exaggerated macho, muscular quality. He was a major influence on later artists such as Tom of Finland. His work became known to his niche market when published in male physique magazines, championed by Bob Mizer of the Athletic Model Guild, publisher of Physique Pictorial (1951-1990). Many of Quaintance’s photographs and paintings depict idealized muscular semi-nude males in an American West setting.
In 1938, George teamed up with Victor Garcia, who became his model, life partner and business associate. Victor, the subject of many of George’s photographs, and George were not sexually faithful to one another, each openly taking other lovers. Their Arizona home dubbed Rancho Siesta, the headquarters of Studio Quaintance, which began to fetishize the theme of macho cowboy and also depicted Mexican, Native American and Central American men.
In 1951, Quaintance’s art was used for the first cover of Physique Pictorial, a homoerotic magazine edited by Bob Mizer Athletic Model Guild. George wrote articles and provided artwork for a slew of magazines catering to the burgeoning bodybuilding cult of the 1940s and 50s. Because of the mores of the day, his published work did not include full nudity; depicted only in private commissions. Within a year of George’s death, however, Tom of Finland, cited Quaintance as a major influence, broke through the barrier of full nudity.
(Art Auction Estimate $1,000 - $1,250)
We carry those that we ourselves like and believe in -- that we
think will excite, enchant, and endure.
Original, collectible vintage photographs, unique books of photography; famous and
infamous photographers, and rare Magazines of the era; Heartland
vernacular, antique original classics. Ephemera unique & collection worthy.
Physique
notables: Pavel Tchelitchev,Thor, Rex
werk Rexwerk Verboten, John Burton JB Harter, Delmas Howe, Jon Arnt,
Joe Weber, Herbert List, Western
Photography Guild Don Whitman WPG Denver Colorado, Kurt
Dietrich Dietrick Kensington Rd Bruce Bellas of LA, Gregor Arax
Paris France, John Paignton Shipley Shreeve Monty Montague Glover
London England,
Jim French polaroid arion Luger Colt Studio Canal St NY Los
Angeles, Lou Thomas Target Studio, Lon Alonzo Hanagan New York,
Douglas Juleff Detroit, Spartan Constantine, Denny Denfield,
Fred Kovert Hollywood, Walter Kundzicz Champion Studio Take
One Sunshine Beach Club Master Physique THEM reidmeier
riedmeier, Reed Massengill, Dave Martin, John Waters David Hurles
San Francisco Old Reliable, DSI, Guild Press PNC Dr Lynn Womack
Washington DC, Pat Milo, Bob Mizer Athletic Model Guild AMG
Physique Pictorial, Cliff Oettinger, Michigan Models Glenn
Bishop, Al Urban, J Brian Donahue Calafran Bob Damron, Tony
Lanza, Third World Studio, Chicago Jim Jager Mr Big Long, Sierra
Domino Craig Calvin Anderson, Basil Clavering Hussar, Foto
Grafo, Mike Arlen Wetherby UK, Mel Roberts, Neil Edwards, Troy
Saxon Stuart Pinky Rosenberg, Bobco, Pat Rocco, Cusido, RMX
Richard Models Vetruvian Sennels Lyric, Gerhardt Liebmann, Tony
Patrioli Italy, Eadweard Muybridge, Paul Cadmus, Jared French
Lincoln Kirstein George Platt Lynes, Will McBride, Henry Tuke,
Luke Smalley, Joel Peter Witkin, Terry Richardson, Michael Stokes
invictus, beaumen beau Wouter Deruytter, Gaetano D'Agata,
Pluschow, Von Gloeden, Vincenzo Galdi, Eugen Sandow, Achille
Volpe, Rudolph Koppitz, Raymond Voinquel, Forbes, Thomas
Eakins, Czanara Raymond Carrance, Desbonnet, Duane Michals,
Sherwin Carlquist, Arundel Holmes Nicholls, Edwin Townsend,
Charles Alphonse Marle, John Max Hernic, Leni Riefenstahl, Fred
Holland Day, Crawford Barton, Daniel Nicoletta, Weegee Arthur
Fellig, Malcolm Boyd, Siegmund sig Klein, NacktKultur Swiss
Nudes Werner Bandi Der Kreis the Circle fkk Hans Suren Gerhard
Riebicke, George Haimsohn Plato Anthony Tony Guyther Vulcan
Capital, Islay Lyons Mark Slocum Edwinstone Fred Bisonnes
Dennis Forbes, Mans Image Toby Ross John Gable, Dallesandro, Ohm
Phanphiroj, Alvin Baltrop, Duncan Grant, Laure Albin Guillot,
Roger Viollet, Hippolyte Bayard, Marconi, Frank Collier DeZine
Artkraft, Les Demi Dieux Danny Fitzgerald, William Sayles Doan
photoflexion, Chuck Renslow Kris Chicago Dom Stephen Etienne,
Art George Quaintance Harry Bush hard boys, Tom Bianchi nyc
fire island, Vince Aletti, Klaus Kertess Peter Hujar David
Wojnarowicz Robert W Richards Stroke Allure Hunter O'Hanian, Wessel
O'Connor, Guy Burch, Bill Ward UK Otto Rieth Max Koch der Akt
act Freilicht, Boris Lurie Habana Havana Cuba, William Gedney,
Arthur Leipzig Brooklyn boys, Lehnert Landrock tunis, Stephane
Gizard France, Julien Marinetti, Lowell Nesbitt, Mike Disfarmer,
Norman Mauskopf, Barthe, Carl Van Vechten Harlem Renaissance, Michael
Leonard, KarlHeinz Weinberger, Banksy Basquiat Warhol Haring,
Colt Tom Album Barrington man ifique manifique super superb youth Tom
of Finland XXL
The seeds of the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation were planted
in 1968 when Fritz Lohman and Charles Leslie held a gallery show of
gay erotic art in their Soho loft. In 1990 they became a foundation
dedicated to preserving art which many in the art world used to
destroy. Ed Cervone "Three Sailor's". Or perhaps Patrick Angus'
Hanky Panky - set in an adult peep show movie house. Darold Perkins has taken an
Arrow Shirt ad and turned it into an ad instead. Next in the Drawings
and Prints category we particularly love Paul Cadmus; the explicit
Andy Warhol drawings -- he wasn't Tom of Finland.... but much more
than Campbell's Tomato Soup
We offer modern firsts, original
photography, the arts, and gay erotica. You will also find a fine
selection of signed copies, limited editions, and memorabilia because
the goal is to deepen the pleasure of collecting. (the usps has raised postal rates approx 50% as has ebay managed payments, thus all rates are at net cost not for profit)