Tom of Finland: The Art of Pleasure

by Tom of Finland, Burkhard Riemschneider (Editor), Micha Ramakers

His art is about high-octane masculinity, with every straining muscle of these muscular bodies lovingly detailed under clothing about to rip apart at the seams. And that includes the crucial zone below the belt, both fore and aft. There was nothing ambiguous about Tom of Finland's interest in his objects of desire: "lf I don't have an erection when I'm doing a drawing, I know it's no good", he himself said. The eroti-cism is naked, even aggressive. The poses inevitably consigned his work to the pornography shelves, and the walls of leather bars in the gay scene. So far there has been no account of the artistic virtuosity of his work.

The present volume traces the life and career of this important artist. Born in southern Finland, Tom played the piano at local coffee shops to supplement his income as a graphic artist until his watercolors of male sexuality began to appear as covers on major American gay publications. His impact as an artist has since stretched far beyond the gay scene.

Genres: Art, LGBT, Queer, Erotica, Gay, Comics, Nonfiction

349 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2005

About the author

Touko Laaksonen (8 May 1920 – 7 November 1991), best known by his pseudonym Tom of Finland, is often said to be the most famous Finnish artist in the world. His highly stylized homoerotic drawings had a profound influence on late twentieth century gay culture, as well as fashion and pop culture in general. 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. Despite having created the self-assured and muscular archetype of the homosexual in his imagery, his most important messages were tolerance and that sex is something to be celebrated.

Tom of Finland's artwork is part of permanent collections of leading cultural institutions that include The Museum of Modern Art (New York), The Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma (Helsinki), The Art Institute of Chicago, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Reviews

[Maria Lago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta el formato de este libro, porque, a pesar de ser enorme, pesa poquísimo. Es decir, se maneja con facilidad, por lo que contemplar las ilustraciones es cuestión de abrirlo, no de apoyarlo en una mesa.
Cuestiones prácticas aparte, el volumen recoge no solo ilustraciones, sino también una breve reseña biográfica/artística y algunas tiras comicas de Kake, amén de una detallada evolución estilística que resulta casi graciosa. O sin el casi.
Muy recomendable para mormones, puritanos, baptistas, homófobos y pacatos: chicos, ¡no os lo perdáis!

[João Roque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Of Finland foi possivelmente o autor da melhor e mais vasta colecção de desenhos homoeróticos de sempre.
O seu traço é inconfundível e inigualável
Este desenhador finlandês começou a sua obra nos anos 40 do século passado e neste livro "Tom of Finland: The Art of Pleasure", estão os seus desenhos das décadas de 40, 50, 60, 70, e 80, além de algumas das suas principais personagens: Kake, Jack in the Jungle, Ringo & the Renegades, The Happy Harlot...
A editora Taschen é conhecida pela excelência das suas publicações artísticas e nesta obra confirma-o em absoluto; um excelente texto de Micha Ramakers e descrições de "The Tom of Finland Foundation" e de "The Tom of Finland Company".
Curiosas algumas citações do desenhador por entre as gravuras, citando como exemplo, esta: "If i don't have an erection when 'm doing a drawing. I know it's no good".
Enfim, uma obra prima.

[Valta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very horny

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The male counterpart to Bill Ward, if you’re not digging floozies with Olympic-sized breasts then check out Tom Of Finland’s perfectly sculpted leather cowboys with their elephantine Johnsons. Their builds are so anatomically impossible and Herculean they’re hysterical to watch.

The chapters are broken down thus: The Fifties – The Lumberjack Years, beaucoups ass-play, The Sixties- The Leather Years, lots of cowboys, bikers and sailors frolicking with their enormous man-meat at the ready, The Seventies- The Clone Years, Tom of Finland hitting his peak with more dickstasy, and the Eighties – The Fetishist Years, lots of cops and construction workers pulling out their mammoth members for some erect-reation.

Tom of Finland’s artwork is so comic book fantasy insane that to call it porn would be selling it short. His utopia of male sexuality is so far flung it’s almost sexual surrealism of the highest order.

[Dave Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

The visionary that started a lot of what I am into today. We are lucky enough to have a full sized hard cover copy of this.

[Ray Quirolgico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Massive coffee table compendium of art and history that chronicles an artist who is truly influential in gay culture with lasting impact today.

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pride Month Rec #27: Tom of Finland: The Art of Pleasure [the definitive Tom of Finland archive]