Tom of Finland – Touko Laaksonen’s dirty drawings
In 1956, with the support of a friend, Touko Laaksonen decided to show the world his hidden art of sexually-charged portraits of men. He sent some of the portraits to an American magazine called Physique Pictorial, under the pseudonym “Tom”. Published in the spring of 1957 edition of magazine and signed by a certain “Tom of Finland”, these “dirty drawings” caused an impact that not only brought this shy Finnish worldwide fame, but also transformed the imagery of homoerotic art.
Hard men with tender eyes
There are two kinds of Tom of Finland’s drawings: sexually implicit portraits of men and sexually very explicit portraits of men. These characters are usually strong, working-class men with exaggerated masculine traits and always have two factors in common: whether portrayed insinuating a sexual encounter, or actually performing one, they are exquisitely dressed with uniforms or working clothes so tight that in real life, they probably wouldn’t be able to breathe. And, as another special trait in Tom of Finland’s work, they have extremely emotional expressions.
For the artist, whose work was a way to express his hidden feelings towards men, in a time when homosexuality was something unthinkable, the emotional component in his characters makes his drawings quite unique. One can’t avoid noticing the lust in their eyes, but also a certain tenderness and love towards each other. The contradiction between these hard men and their expressions of love make Tom of Finland not just an erotic artist – he captured, in his mind, feelings that go beyond just sex between men; Tom of Finland gave his drawings a sense of humanity.
The Dirty Drawings
Tom of Finland was born Touko Laaksonen in 1920, in Finland. The country had become independent in 1917, and apart from some cities, Finland was a rough land to live in, especially due to its harsh climate. Touko’s parents were teachers, and kept their son away from this Finnish roughness, although he watched carefully through his window, the men who worked to soften the land a bit more. This excited and filled him with curiosity, making him a voyeur at a young age, admiring these true males.
He would hide in his bedroom and express his sexual and emotional feelings in a medium he could control: drawing. This was how Touko first began drawing the characters that would make him internationally famous.
In 1939, Touko moved to Helsinki to study advertising, which would be his source of income, along with piano playing at bars in the city. There, he would also keep on observing the beautiful men who worked at the docks, or who filled the city streets in uniforms, from policemen to sailors and soldiers.
When World War II erupted, Touko was drafted as a lieutenant for Stalin’s army, which proved to be the perfect opportunity for him to mingle with the army men he loved. It was also during the war that Touko developed his gay sexuality, during blackouts. After the war ended, he resumed his studies and went back into his life working as an advertiser during the day, playing the piano during the night, and drawing in the privacy of his bedroom, fantasizing about men in uniforms.
The Birth of Tom of Finland
Although he had a lot of success when his first drawings were published in Physique Pictorial, and there was a lot of demand for more work, Touko couldn’t quit his daytime job, as homoerotic art was not exactly well-paid at the time. Still, he stopped playing the piano to work more on his drawings, and it was only around 1973 that Touko was able to live off his art.
That same year, Touko, now Tom of Finland, made his first exhibition in Hamburg. Unfortunately, all of his drawings except for one were stolen, and he was so traumatized by the experience that he put off any efforts to exhibit his art for another five years. His second opportunity was in Los Angeles, which was also the first time he went to the United States. There, he made an impression, and more events in San Francisco and New York followed, thus making Tom of Finland an international star in the gay community.
The Tom of Finland Foundation
Touko died in 1991 from emphysema, a condition he had been suffering from since 1988. During the period of his illness, Touko was forced to stop traveling, which was something he had done frequently since the end of the war, getting acquainted with the most important gay scenes around the world. He continued drawing by switching to pastel, a technique that allowed him to continue his art, even if the disease and the medication made his hands tremble.
After his death, he left a foundation under his name, managed by his friend Durk Dehner, who had managed Tom of Finland’s career while he was alive. The Tom of Finland Foundation was created in 1984 by the two men, as a means to preserve Tom’s body of work. In the years to come, the Foundation became also a haven for other erotic artists, promoting their work, and establishing protection against discrimination towards this particular art genre.
However, the influence of his art would go far beyond what Tom perhaps expected. Touko’s “dirty drawings” reversed a stereotype of homosexuality that, in his time, was of effeminate men with traces of mental illness, into that of male individuals who looked like real masculine men. He brought to the public eye that being gay is not just about sex; it’s about having deep feelings that is no different from heterosexual love. He inspired generations to come to embrace their sexuality and be – and feel – masculine. His portraits inspired groups include The Village People, in terms of image, and still today, one can see that there are deep emotions inside those hairy, muscled, strong and rude men. Furthermore, he was able to present erotic art as an important genre, regardless of the conscience it shocks.
>Written by d/visible contributor Mariana Passos E Sousa.
