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Feminist literary theory is a complex, dynamic area of study that draws from a wide range of critical theories.
Although gay, lesbian, and queer theory are related practices, the three terms delineate separate emphases marked by different assumptions about the relationship between gender and sexuality.
Williams, TennesseeConflicted over his own sexuality, Tennessee Williams wrote directly about homosexuality only in his short stories, his poetry, and his late plays.
AestheticismA theory of art and an approach to living that influenced many European and American gay male and lesbian writers at the turn of the twentieth century, aestheticism stressed the independence of art from all moral and social conditions and judgments.
Wilde, OscarOscar Wilde is important both as an accomplished writer and as a symbolic figure who exemplified a way of being homosexual at a pivotal moment in the emergence of gay consciousness.
Erotica and PornographyErotic and pornographic works have been written in many cultures since ancient times and recently have flourished with the relaxation of censorship.
The Harlem RenaissanceThe Harlem Renaissance, an African-American literary movement of the 1920s and 1930s, included several important gay and lesbian writers.
CampCombining elements of incongruity, theatricality, and exaggeration, camp is a form of humor that helps homosexuals cope with a hostile environment.
Last updated on: 12/10/11
peers by Steve Locke. © Steve Locke, courtesy Platform Gallery and Steve Locke.
The Platform Gallery in Seattle's current exhibition entitled "One more kiss and we're history" includes work by five leading glbtq artists, Cobi Moules, Kelli Connell, Molly Landreth, Steve Locke, and Steven Frost. The range of sexual orientations, gender identities, and artistic styles makes the exhibition an exceptionally interesting survey of contemporary glbtq visual culture.
Cobi Moules' work explores his transition from female to male. His self portraits navigate his complex individual experience through the subtle re-imagining of his physicality and the creation of fantasy worlds. His work reveals both his fears and his excitement about the possibilities his transition created.
Untitled (bath) by Cobi Moules (2009). © Cobi Moules, courtesy Platform Gallery and Cobi Moules.
Artist Kelli Connell creates images that appear to be photographic portraits of female couples, but does so with a twist. In fact, Connell digitally combines separate photographs of the same model to create her "couples."
The Valley by Kelli Connell. © Kelli Connell, courtesy Platform Gallery and Kelli Connell.
Connell says that "For the most part, I'm not actually thinking so much about representing two females in a relationship. I'm more so thinking about the multiple sides of the self in the overall human experience."
The images the show features by figurative artist Steve Locke are deliberately vague and invite viewer interpretation. Each painting features two men relating to each other in an ambiguous way. The paintings can be understood as gay, but Locke sees them as depicting the way males relate to each other in general. As he puts it, "It's just a male thing."
cleanse by Steve Locke. © Steve Locke, courtesy Platform Gallery and Steve Locke.
Documentary photographs by Molly Landreth, who has spent more than five years traveling around the United States photographing gay and transgendered people for her on-going project, Embodiment: A Portrait of Queer Life in America and mixed media works by Steven Frost, who is fascinated by the spectacle and the often extreme masculinity exhibited in professional wrestling, complete the show and add to the exhibition's diversity.
For more images and information about the exhibition and the artists, visit Platform Gallery's website.
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