{illustrators} – Page 80

The art of Jean Boullet, 1921–1970

From Antinous (1954).

A few drawings and paintings by Jean Boullet, a prolific French illustrator who was also a writer—passionate about “sexology, conjuring, magic, demonology, and mythology”, says Wikipédia—and a film critic. His illustrations range from books by Raymond Radiguet, Boris Vian and Edgar Allan Poe to unabashed homoerotic collections of his own, one of which, Tapis volant (1945), has an introduction by Jean Cocteau. Boullet’s figures are very Cocteau-like, especially those depicting the sailors which Cocteau also liked to draw and fantasise about. The Au Bonheur du Jour gallery has many pages of Boullet’s drawings and publications, while Bibliothèque Gay has several posts showing complete sets of drawings from some of his books. Many of the artist’s drawings circulating without credit on the web seem to originate there. Don’t miss Metamorphoses (1950).

• See also: The Male Universe of Subversive Genius Jean Boullet by Julien Beyle.

Portrait of Jean Marais.

Portrait of Kenneth Anger.

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William Strang’s Sindbad the Sailor

Another collaboration between William Strang and JB Clark, Sindbad the Sailor, and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves was published in 1895. The Sindbad text is from Edward William Lane’s popular (and bowdlerised) translation of the Thousand and One Nights; Ali Baba is from the translation by Rev. Jonathan Scott. The illustrations follow the same bold style as the Baron Munchausen book but with more detail and decoration. The compositions are also more careful which makes me wonder if the Munchausen book was a product of haste. As before, the book as a whole contains many more illustrations. The copies here have been slightly cropped and lightened to compensate for another poor scanning job by Google.

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William Strang’s Baron Munchausen

The paintings and illustrations of Scottish artist William Strang (1859–1921) were much more typical of their time than the bold drawings in this 1895 edition of Rudolf Erich Raspe’s tall tales. Not all the illustrations are Strang’s work, some are by JB Clark, and there are many more in the book as a whole. Years later, the Gollancz publishing company was based next door to Lawrence & Bullen’s former home at 14 Henrietta Street.

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Tom of Finland redesigned

Tom of Smurfland by Alessio Slonimsky.

Rest assured this is about the only time anything Smurf-related will be allowed on these pages, the blue wretches having been partially redeemed for ~~artist~~ writer Dale Lazarov’s pin-up challenge for the month of May. Lazarov regularly proposes homoerotic redesign challenges on his Tumblr pages, something I wasn’t aware of until reading about this recent one. The challenge was to reimagine the artist’s beefcake clones in different comics or cartooning styles but some contributors took things a little further, as with the Wyeth and Beardsley pastiches below. This month there’s the Gay Propaganda Poster Pin-Up Challenge, entries for which have been posted here. I wouldn’t mind offering something to one of these challenges myself if I can find a spare moment.

Find out more about Dale Lazarov’s “smart, wholesome gay comics smut” at his website.

Wyeth of Finland by KnottyBits.

Twinks of Finland by Alexander.

Tom’s Man drawn in the style of Aubrey Beardsley by Choklit Daddy.

Elsewhere on { feuilleton }
• The gay artists archive

Previously on { feuilleton }
• Tom of Finland postage stamps

The Passionate Shepherd To His Love

More Marlowe, and something else for the month of May while it lasts. This embellished collection of poems by Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh dates from 1902, and is another limited edition. The embellisher was PA Schwarzenbach who provides suitably florid decorations.

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