At times, a caress, a glance, or a burst of shared laughter survives only in the memory of a single person, fragile and fleeting like a flame in the wind. Every intimate recollection is precarious by nature: it belongs only to those who lived it. Yet when it comes to moments of closeness between men, this fragility was compounded, over the centuries, by a merciless threat for anyone who might have preserved the record: society’s censorship. These memories were not only destined to vanish with those who carried them, but whatever might have borne witness was systematically cast out of collective remembrance.

The history of painting and the representation of homosexuality in art reveals a complex evolution, shaped by the social, cultural, and religious contexts of each era. This overview focuses mainly on Western art, while reminding us that forms of love and tenderness between men have always existed, whether in broad daylight or in the intimacy of private spaces.

In the visual culture inherited from the Renaissance, the nude male body became the absolute norm, exalting strength and heroism while repressing fragility and intimacy between men. This legacy, carried through academic art and media, confined gender into reductive roles.

To fill the silences imposed by heteronormative oppression, I draw on the visual heritage that has been passed down and imagine the works that history never allowed to come into being. The in-depth version of what expresses my vision as an artist and art thinker is presented here. On my website, it appears in a slightly different form, under the heading “My Vision.”