For the last meeting of the 50th cycle of cultural meetings of the Cultural Relations Centre, Friday 17 May at 6pm, in the Sala D’Attorre in via Ponte Marino 2 in Ravenna, the presentation of the book will be held “Gay icons in art. Sailors, angels, gods” (De Luca Editori d’Arte) by Vincenzo Patanè. Hosted by Silvia Masi.
The book offers a journey through Western art, exploring desire and sensuality linked to the male body. With over 100 selected works, the volume presents a variety of artistic expressions, including paintings, sculptures, drawings and illustrations. The works are divided into three categories. The first deals with the body and the male nude, a section that celebrates the beauty of the male body through works that enhance the form, musculature and sensuality. Artists such as Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Egon Schiele are the protagonists of this section.
The second is the section of homoerotic ideas, some works convey messages explicitly, others in a more subtle and veiled way, revealing hidden desires. Here we find artists such as Gustave Courbet and Jean Cocteau. Lastly, we find the homosexual episodes. This section includes works related to homosexual stories or characters. From Apollo and Hyacinthus in ancient Greece to more contemporary themes, art reflects the complexity of human relationships.
The 100 cards help the reader understand the message of each of the works described, in relation to the era in which it was created and the poetics of its author. Through these works, the book invites you to explore desire, passion and identity through the eyes of the artists. A read for anyone interested in art history and LGBTQ+ history and culture.
Vincenzo Patanè is an Italian journalist, writer, film critic and gay activist. Author of numerous monographs on art, literature, cinema and cinema history. He was a professor of art history, while in his journalistic activity he mainly dealt with art, cinema, literature and Islam. An activist with vast experience in the field of cinema, he boasts a long collaboration with the Cinema Office of the Municipality of Venice. As a journalist and film critic, he has contributed to the most important magazines of the LGBTQ+ movement such as Babylon and Pride. Among his writings are “The style of destiny” (in Corti d’autore. 16 authors talk about cinema), “Oasi gay. Myths and titans of homosexual and lesbian culture” and “100 classics of gay cinema. Films that change lives.” Patanè is also a fan of Lord Byron as well as one of the leading Byronic experts in Italy. Among his publications “The summer of a dormouse. The myth of Lord Byron” and “The unripe fruits. Lord Byron, love & sex”.
The programming of the Cultural Relations Center will resume on next October.
