Dali, Gay Greek Gods, & Weeki Wachee

Got it in my head one day to make a HYDRA where the snake heads form a human skull, at same time thinking I’d then make a CERBERUS where two of the dog heads would form the eyes and the third the mouth of another human skull. Maybe I’d also do a HARPY or a GORGON, if I could figure out what they mean to me. Obviously, I was on a Greek kick.

Realized, too, the skull was coming right out of Dali’s fantastic skull made of nekkid ladies. If I make it out of snakes, does it make the writhing creatures female or phallic?

Salvador Dali

Giuseppe Arcimboldo/ 1. The Four Seasons in One Head/ 2. The Jurist (detail)/ 3. Head of Herod (by a follower?)/ The Cook (upside down.)The “Great Grandfather of Surrealism,” his work was largely forgotten after his death in 1593 until rediscovered by Dali and others in the 20th century. You can see the connection to Dali, but also to early animation where anything can become anything else. Look closely. — **Giuseppe Arcimboldo/ 1. *The* *Four* *Seasons* in *One* *Head*/ 2. *The* *Jurist* (detail)/ 3. *Head* of *Herod* (by a follower?)/ *The* *Cook* (upside down.)**
The “Great Grandfather of Surrealism,” his work was largely forgotten after his death in 1593 until rediscovered by Dali and others in the 20th century. You can see the connection to Dali, but also to early animation where anything can become anything else. Look closely.

Greek ‘n Gay

Hydras on Greek vases, with Heracles and his nephew-or-is-it-his-lover, Iolaus.Part of the reason for going Greek is because I can. As a white American, it is clearly in our tradition to draw on the first stirrings of Western civilization to reinterpret for the modern world. I can’t as freely help myself to images from, say, Northwest Coast mask traditions or from African sculpture, much as I’m drawn to and am clearly influenced by them. Greek and Roman mythology, Medieval demons, Grimms’ fairy tales, Mother Goose, Norse mythology-Wagner-Tolkien-Game of Thrones, these I can plunder and make my own; the Chinese zodiac and Japanese samurai helmets, maybe I need a different tactic, as I do in fact have plans for these.It is also in our tradition to use Greek as code for gay. They don’t tell you that in 8th grade English. Zeus, Apollo, Orpheus, Heracles, Achilles, they all had same-sex lovers. Not so many boys as young girls, yes, but they’re there, often sanitized as close companions. It’s also true the ancient Greeks had a different understanding and acceptance of only a very particular set of relationships, different from our own, but still… For more than I can begin to parse: https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/assemblage/html/7/matthews.html. — **Hydras on Greek vases, with Heracles and his nephew-or-is-it-his-lover, Iolaus.**
Part of the reason for going Greek is because I can. As a white American, it is clearly in our tradition to draw on the first stirrings of Western civilization to reinterpret for the modern world. I can’t as freely help myself to images from, say, Northwest Coast mask traditions or from African sculpture, much as I’m drawn to and am clearly influenced by them. Greek and Roman mythology, Medieval demons, Grimms’ fairy tales, Mother Goose, Norse mythology-Wagner-Tolkien-Game of Thrones, these I can plunder and make my own; the Chinese zodiac and Japanese samurai helmets, maybe I need a different tactic, as I do in fact have *plans* for these.
It is also in our tradition to use Greek as code for *gay*. They don’t tell you that in 8th grade English. Zeus, Apollo, Orpheus, Heracles, Achilles, they all had same-sex lovers. Not so many boys as young girls, yes, but they’re there, often sanitized as close companions. It’s also true the ancient Greeks had a different understanding and acceptance of only a very particular set of relationships, different from our own, *but* *still*… For more than I can begin to parse: https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/assemblage/html/7/matthews.html.

John Singer Sargent/ L: Hercules and the Hydra, 1922-25/ R: Hell, 1903-16.In recent years there’s been another look at Sargent following the discovery of a cache of nude charcoal studies of men and a finished nude portrait of a favorite African-American sitter that he never exhibited publicly in his lifetime. A “confirmed bachelor”, he is thought now to have had a more sensual private life than his society portraits suggest. He may well have been hiding in plain sight. For more: https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/the-hidden-sargent-39/. — **John Singer Sargent/ L: *Hercules* *and* *the* *Hydra*, 1922-25/ R: *Hell*, 1903-16.**
In recent years there’s been another look at Sargent following the discovery of a cache of nude charcoal studies of men and a finished nude portrait of a favorite African-American sitter that he never exhibited publicly in his lifetime. A “confirmed bachelor”, he is thought now to have had a more sensual private life than his society portraits suggest. He may well have been hiding in plain sight. For more: https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/the-hidden-sargent-39/.

**Snakes, the real thing. Creepy enough, but as design, gorgeous.**

Weeki Wachee

**The mermaids today, well, pre-Covid.**

HYDRA: “converted” into developable surfaces ready to be flattened, cut, and reassembled in paper.I’m super excited to see this realized IRL. I’m clearly drawing on the things I learned while making HYENA, https://johnlauerart.com/blog/hyena, and the HEAD-&-SHOULDERS REDO, https://johnlauerart.com/blog/wei-wei-wings-amp-drag-queens.Hope it works! I expect it to take several tries. — **HYDRA: “converted” into developable surfaces ready to be flattened, cut, and reassembled in paper.**
I’m super excited to see this realized IRL. I’m clearly drawing on the things I learned while making HYENA, https://johnlauerart.com/blog/hyena, and the HEAD-&-SHOULDERS REDO, https://johnlauerart.com/blog/wei-wei-wings-amp-drag-queens.
Hope it works! I expect it to take several tries.

Salvador Dali

Greek ‘n Gay

Weeki Wachee

Wei Wei, Wings, & Drag Queens