As the month of June and Pride Festivities are coming to a close, I wanted to write an essay which celebrates same-sex love throughout time, in it’s pure and simple form- specifically art depicting “sapphic women”

Homosexuality is widely disputed among Ancient Egyptian scholars, however, one of the more famous cases discussed is that of Nyankh and Hotep around 2494 B.C. Each had their own wives and families, and yet, at the time of their deaths, they were buried together. Within their tomb several depictions were discovered of the two -nose to nose- (which signified a kiss to the Ancient Egyptians).

It’s widely known that the Greeks didn’t “necessarily” bother to keep their preferences a secret – although, they were also known to be unsure of their stance on the topic – the great philosopher, Plato, once said, “same sex lovers are more blessed than ordinary mortals”.

Pliny the Younger referred to the Amazon Women as ‘Androgynae’ which means those “who combine the two sexes” (transsexuals). Gender-fluid individuals were also found among the pre-conquest tribes of Latin America, known today as “Two-Spirit” by many indigenous groups. With countless stories and art depicting same-sex love over thousands of years, it was still very “hush”, and something to be hidden.

Even so, love of any kind cannot be contained by fear, hate, or ignorance. It always finds a way to surface, and if we pay attention, we see traces of it in unlikely places.

ANCIENT GREECE

And so, we begin our journey in the year 630 b.c. with Sappho, an ancient poet from the Greek island of Lesbos. Sappho was heralded as a great muse of her time, sadly, most of her work has been lost or destroyed by the sands of time. Many pieces of her fragmented poetry tell of the sensual love between women. Thus, Sappho become a universal symbol for love and desire between women. The terms “Sapphic” and “Lesbianism” both derive from her and the Island from which she came.

“Portrait of Sappho”, Silanion, 4th Cent. BC

ROMAN EMPIRE

“The Three Graces”, Antonio Cánova

Because of strict gender roles in Ancient Rome, lesbianism was not looked upon favorably. Yet, one of the most scintillating lesbian love stories was told in Book IX of Ovid’s Metamorphoses (8 AD). The story of Iphis and Lanthe follows the tale of a mother who hid her child’s gender from her husband (who wanted only a son and threatened to kill the child should it be female). The mother raised Iphis as a male, and when the time came for “him” to be wed, the father chose a beautiful bride. The story goes on to tell of the guilt Iphis felt as she found herself falling in love with Lanthe- and how Lanthe, in turn, fell in love with Iphis.

“And so love came to both of them together
In simple innocence, and filled their hearts
With equal longing”

“Female Couple”, Suburban Baths at Pompeii

MEDIEVAL ARAB WORLD

During the Arab medieval era (10th century AD), the first known exotic book called “Encyclopedia of Pleasure” was written. Within the book can be found story after story of gay and lesbian love. One such story tells of the love between a Christian and Arab woman. After the death of her Christian lover, Hind built a monastery to honor her lost love and spent her remaining days in abstinence of all forms of indulgence.

Super interesting (and amusing) side note: Actual medical Arab texts considered lesbianism to be inborn, and was considered to be caused by too much heat generated in a woman’s labia.

In 2001 sculptor, Ghanda Amer created a series of boxes, inspired by the Encyclopedia of Pleasure. On each box she wrote exerts from the book. In an interview she stated:

“I was interested in this book because it was written by a Muslim centuries ago, and is forbidden today, according to Muslim law. This shows how open-minded literature was at that time and how centuries later, we are living in a much more conservative time. It is very sad to see that this voice has now been silenced. Why has speaking and reading about sexuality become so taboo in today’s Muslim society? I have chosen to trace and then embroider parts of the Encyclopedia on a grid of fifty-seven boxes… Specifically, I am choosing to illustrate parts of the Encyclopedia that speak of women’s pleasure…”

EARLY MODERN ERA

Moving into the Early Modern period (15th to 18th century) in England, female-on-female love became just a little more visible to the public eye. The English court cared little about lesbianism and tended to turn a blind eye to it. Even so, I was hard-pressed to find any lesbian art within this era.

LATE 19th CENTURY FRANCE

France, seemed a place where lesbianism and bisexuality could flourish. “Fin de Siecle” social circles were created in Paris, where a series of restaurants, bars, cafes, and theaters were owned by lesbians. The famous Moulin Rouge theater was home to quite a few lesbian couples, and is the backdrop of our next work of art.

“ La Goulue”, Henri de Toulouse, 1892

In “La Goulue” we see Louise Weber, a cabaret girl herself, enter the Moulin Rouge with her sister on one arm, and her lesbian lover on the other.

TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY

This next artist is my absolute favorite, perhaps what attracts me are the melancholy grays – or maybe the bold subjects within her works. Romaine Brooks’ art addressed gender politics and the lesbian subculture of the early 1900’s.

“Self-Portrait”, Romaine Brooks, 1923

Brooks was briefly married, but it is said the relationship was so bad, Brooks swore off men and relationships in general. However, she later met “bad girl” poet Natalie Barney (Barney was literally famous for having hundreds of relationships with women), and fell in love. Brooks and Barney spent over 50 years together.

Barney, left. Brooks, right (sitting)

LUCY LIU

I’ll end this essay with the work of none other than actress, and painter Lucy Liu. Liu is best known for her roles on the big screen, however, her work is making waves in the art world and she recently held her first museum show in Singapore. Much of her work covers lesbian themes.

Whisper, David Pearson