Have you ever wondered where the modern imagery associated with the LGBTQ community comes from? In gay culture, few have had the artistic impact Tom of Finland has had. A creative obsessed with the male form, his studies have contributed to much of popular culture’s ideology regarding the homosexual man. Below, we discuss Tom of Finland and his cultural impact.
Who Was Tom of Finland?
Touko Valio Laaksonen was born on the 8th of May 1920 in Finland, close to the city of Turku. When he reached the age of 19 he moved to the capital, Helsinki, and began to study advertising. However, he was much more preoccupied with art, drawing erotic images of male laborers for his own pleasure, which he would destroy afterwards.
His art career was interrupted by the war, but he did take influence from the uniformed military figures of the time. Returning to his art studies after the war, he began to draw images of men more associated with the working classes, such as sailors, bikers, and lumberjacks.
It would not be until 1956, when he submitted his images to the American magazine Physique Pictorial, that he would enter the public consciousness. One of his pictures was included on the Spring 57 cover. While publishing codes forbade depictions of homosexuality, his method of using sports and work environments as a metaphor for oppressed sexuality hit a chord. When this censorship was overturned in the 1970s, the door was opened for his mainstream appeal.
The Cultural Impact of Tom of Finland
Tom has been used in many different ways in popular culture. He was even used as the premise for the first gay-themed online casino. Purporting to be an online casino aimed at the LGBTQ community, this theme jumped on the hugely popular online gambling and casino craze. In the past few years, online offerings and mobile casino apps from providers like King Casino Bonus have grown huge in popularity, due to innovative games and a wide selection. The real LGBTQ themes can be found in the slot games they provide, with titles like Rainbow Riches bringing glitz, chintz, and camp to the casual gaming market.
In high fashion, the cologne advertisements of Jean Paul Gaultier owe a heavy debt to Tom of Finland, with their masculine sailors embraced in erotic encounters. Even the designer’s scent bottles are shaped to represent this aesthetic.
Just look at the disco craze of the seventies, which came out of the LGBTQ subculture itself. His imagery was used in pop bands like the Village People, whose worker and bike outfits were a direct rip from his work.
The Tom of Finland Foundation
Today, the work of Tom is kept alive by the aforementioned foundation. It aims to keep alive not just the erotic artwork of Tom of Finland, but other erotic artists. It has been instrumental in getting the artwork the recognition it deserves, both in the gay and straight communities. This has seen his work purchased by The Finnish Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in 1991. This was followed by a host of museums and galleries including MoMA.
All of this is centered on the Tom House and cultural and art festival, which is held annually. It manages to keep Tom of Finland in the public consciousness, ensuring his art gets the historical retrospective it deserves.