In bed - the kiss
Lesbian Sexuality in Late 19th Century Art
Toulouse-Lautrec's paintings often depicted popular subjects and erotic scenes. Two Friends (1895), for instance, which shows two female prostitutes in a brothel, perhaps in between clients, are probably featured as a lesbian couple. It appears the painting was created for an artist friend. The painting draws attention to a specific aspect of prostitution of that time with simple honesty, namely lesbianism.
Numerous paintings of a sexual, or more specifically lesbian, content by Toulouse-Lautrec reflect works by other artists of that time. Baudelaire’s volume of poetry The Flowers of Evil and Courbet’s The Sleepers (1866) are also inspired by contemporary literature on the theme. Later works by Toulouse-Lautrec such as The Kiss (1892) and In Bed (1893) unambiguously depict the comfort and support offered by lesbian sex.
The traditional perspective of viewing and being viewed – of the male as the principal protagonist and the female as the passive object of desire – was shaken by these images of the late 19th century.
Numerous paintings of a sexual, or more specifically lesbian, content by Toulouse-Lautrec reflect works by other artists of that time. Baudelaire’s volume of poetry The Flowers of Evil and Courbet’s The Sleepers (1866) are also inspired by contemporary literature on the theme. Later works by Toulouse-Lautrec such as The Kiss (1892) and In Bed (1893) unambiguously depict the comfort and support offered by lesbian sex.
The traditional perspective of viewing and being viewed – of the male as the principal protagonist and the female as the passive object of desire – was shaken by these images of the late 19th century.