By Charles Leslie

Dear Friends:

This letter constitutes an invitation and an encouragement for you to participate in a theme-based exhibition planned for the 2001 season. If the project interests you, artists will be asked to create a work (or works) based on any part of the information sheets that will be sent to you on request — for inclusion in the proposed exhibition. If you are a friend and supporter of LLGAF we ask that you submit your ideas and suggestions for the exhibition. After reviewing our compendium of homosexually based myths, legends, etc.

The title of the show is: AND LO! THE OLD GODS!

As you may infer from the title the theme of the show — which constitutes an homage to the oldest art tradition in the Western World — is, of course, Greek Art.

Although homosexual love and eroticism was not only integral to, but indeed rife in ancient Greek mythology, visual arts, and civil society, — it was for centuries there-after ruthlessly suppressed and hidden (the work of “pagans”) until the Italian Renaissance rediscovered our shared classical and humanist past.

But even then, the homosexual nexus had to be carefully finessed, somehow disguised by the artists of the day…Think of the innumerable images of Ganymede giving food to an eagle.

In ancient times everyone understood that Zeus kidnapped the beautiful prince — not because he wanted him to pour wine for him on Mount Olympus, but because he fell in love with him and wanted to fuck him and keep him with him forever…

For all the paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures of a beautiful young man (usually nude to be sure) giving an injured eagle a bowl of milk, there are very few of a virile mature man, muscled and bearded, carnally embracing the younger man — which is the heart and soul of the story.

You are under no such constraints.

We do not intend that an artist’s work (whatever subject suites his fancy) be a replication of ancient Greek style unless you “want” to do it that way. It is indeed our intention to elicit as many different interpretations of these stories as possible…The only thing we require — (however your personal rendition of these myths, legends, poems and fragments, which have come down to us over 30 centuries, are executed) — is that they unambiguously represent that referenced “heart and soul” of the chosen story.

In the sheaf of papers we will send you upon your express request to receive them you will find short sketches of some of the great homosexually themed myths (and some of real people and actual events) of the ancient world, as well as lesser known legends, and a necessarily limited se-lection of surviving epigrams, poems and fragments.

Artists! Let you imaginations soar!

And Friends of The Foundation, — if you know of stories and legends we have overlooked, — tell us!

We look forward to hearing from you,
Charles Leslie
LLGAF

AND AN IMPORTANT P.S.
Although ancient Greek mythology has a paucity of Lesbian references (it was, after all, an intensely phallocentric, male-dominated society) there are nonetheless three sources which all by themselves provide a wealth of visual possibility. Most importantly, the poems of Sappho, the great bard of Lesbos singing the glory of her girlfriends. The best source book for Sappho is SAPPHO: A GARLAND / The poems and Fragments of Sappho — translated by Jim Powell and published by The Noonday Press/Farrar, Straus and Giroux/New York City.

In mythology there is the goddess Artemis (Diana) the goddess of the hunt who was always surrounded by comely maidens in attendance. Kind to humans (men included) who sought her mercy and pro-tection, she nonetheless did not want men to get too close. Indeed, if one even tried to sneak a peek he got torn to shreds. ARTEMIS was lecherously spied upon in the bath by the hunter ACTAEON even though he knew that no mortal could look upon a deity without the deity’s consent. When she learned of his affronting presence she had him torn to pieces by the hounds of heaven…Even though it was never enunciated clearly in the context of Greek mythology, there was certainly something “different” about Artemis.

And finally, there were the AMAZONS: a tribe of warrior women who eschewed the company of men. What do you think their home life was like?…It boggles the mind!

And so you see, there are visual possibilities aplenty. Also, there is nothing to prevent women artists from depicting scenes from the male-male compendium of relationships or men artists rendering images involving Artemis, Sappho or the Amazons.

Let your imagination fly!