Awakening Eros as Seen by the Greek Painter Giorgos Nicolaou

The Japanese erotic pictures are known not only for portraying the heterosexual utopia but also for popularizing the image of kagema - young male prostitutes who apprenticed for kabuki actors. Besides, some shunga prints show homosexual encounters (shudo) of youths with older Buddhist monks or samurai. The cult of kagema was primarily the adoration of youth, and even some female courtesans tried to imitate their style to attract wealthy clients. Male youth and the awakening of sexuality are the themes of the Greek painter Giorgos Nicolaou that make him often refer to ancient Greece, where pederasty among the high class played an educative role.

Fig. 1. Greek Lovers (Instagram.com)

Fig. 2. Greek Lovers (Instagram.com)

Fig. 3. ‘A young wakashu kabuki actor and older male lover‘ (c.1838) from the series ‘Chinpen shinkeibai’ by Kuniyoshi

Fig. 4. Vicious gay encounter with samurai ' (c.1840) by a member of the Utagawa school

Fig. 5. Greek Love (Instagram.com)

Fig. 6. Resting (saatchiart.com)

The Last Thing to Dream of

Being raised in Athens, the heart of the Greek civilization and all European culture, means that you're either inspired by the monumental legacy of ancient times or suppressed by it, as everything you can produce pales in comparison to what your ancestors were capable of. It takes time to realize that art is not the Olympics but the field of self-expression, which is a natural need of the human spirit. The urge to create, in this case, feels as awkward as the first teenage love, especially, for someone of your sex. Such could be an inner artistic collision of Giorgos Nicolaou, who, as he writes in his art profile, studied business administration and economics and never dreamt of becoming an artist, though loved to draw Greek heroes as a kid. An amateur painter, Nicolaou sells his expressive oil works on various art platforms and seems to be happy with taking a risk of doing what he wants to do.

Fig. 7. Achilles and Patroclus (Instagram.com)

Fig. 8. Man and boys (Instagram.com)

Fig. 9. Eros Hits (instagram.com)

Fig. 10. Greek Symposium (saatchiart.com)

Fig. 11. Greek Symposium (Instagram.com)

Fig. 12. Visiting a Young Kalos (saatchiart.com)

Kagema and Kalos

The thing that made us start with kagema was Nicolaou's painting Visiting a Young Kalos (Fig.12) because, to those who've seen homosexual intercourses as depicted in shunga, the scene might look quite similar typically. Let's mention that the term kagema relates to the sex-workers, while kalos means anything beautiful, noble, good, etc. So, what Nicolaou's picture shows is closer to the relationship of a samurai warrior with his young apprentice. If the adolescent boy agreed, the samurai took him as a lover until his coming of age. 

Read the complete article in Premium and learn more about the similarities between Nicolaou's gay work and shunga art, the references to Greek mythology 28 additional examples of his striking gay art (including lesbian!).

Click HERE for an ode to phallus in the art of Andrejs Majevskis

Sources: Wikipedia.org; saatchiart.com; instagram.com/gionicolaou/