"Young Male Seated beside the Sea," the painting by French painter Hippolyte Flandrin, is the source image for iconic gay photographs over the years.
Flandrin's study of a nude male dates to 1837. It depicts an unidentified youth who sits nude on a rock with his head resting on his knees and his arms wrapped around his legs. The scene is enigmatic. Why is he there? What is he meant to be doing?
The painting, which is now in the Louvre in Paris, was reproduced in an 1887 engraving by Jean-Baptiste Danguin. The image became a popular gay theme in the 20th century, the most notable product being the photograph "Cain." Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden staged the image circa 1902 during his studies of the male nude.
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Flandrin's study of a nude male dates to 1837. It depicts an unidentified youth who sits nude on a rock with his head resting on his knees and his arms wrapped around his legs. The scene is enigmatic. Why is he there? What is he meant to be doing?
The painting, which is now in the Louvre in Paris, was reproduced in an 1887 engraving by Jean-Baptiste Danguin. The image became a popular gay theme in the 20th century, the most notable product being the photograph "Cain." Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden staged the image circa 1902 during his studies of the male nude.
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| "Young Man Seated beside the Sea," Hippolyte Flandrin |
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| "Cain," by Wilhelm von Gloeden |
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| Mikel, by LeBeau Foto |
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| Marco, in Paris; by Alain M. |