Apparently, gay guys haven’t changed all that much since 1869.
A viral post about a 155-year-old painting has the gays delving into art history, thanks to the timelessness of its subject matter and the enduring gay gaze.
The painting, “Scène d’été” (aka “Summer Scene” or “The Bathers”) by French impressionist Frédéric Bazille, caught the internet’s attention after an X user posted it with the caption, “sort of insane to me that this was painted in 1869.” Indeed, Bazille’s depiction of eight scantily clad men having a lakeside day of fun in the sun feels weirdly modern — maybe because the men’s poses look straight out of a gay guy’s vacation photodump on Instagram.
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Naturally, gays across the internet wondered if Bazille was one of us. As for many famous folks in his era, there’s no concrete proof of Bazille’s sexuality, but he was never in a relationship with a woman and had an apparent obsession with painting nude or barely clothed men. “Scène d’été” is debatably not even his most homoerotic work; just look at “The Fisherman with a Net.”
Long story short, we don’t know if he was gay — but if we had to guess, signs are pointing to yes. Another viral post answered the question on everyone’s lips without it even being asked, simply saying, “yes he was.”
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Being pressed up against a naked man? Sounds pretty gay to us.
“It feels like you think it’s insulting for even a statue to be compared to a transsexual woman,” reads one post in the heated debate.
Meanwhile, others marveled at the fact that despite a century and a half passing, queerness can still be felt through a canvas.
One user even explained why the painting feels so queer (beyond the obvious fact of its subject matter), pointing out the voyeurism of it all. “After ~300 years of men only painting men who are aware of being painted, in the 19th c we finally get men being stared at,” they wrote. “Think of how rare it is to see a painting of a man from behind.” Staring at men is pretty gay, after all.
Also, if you're interested why it's so clear, it's not (just) bc they're half naked. It's bc after ~300 years of men only painting men who are aware of being painted, in the 19th c we finally get men being stared at. Think of how rare it is to see a painting of a man from behind. pic.twitter.com/7C75tE2c8a
— roko (@rumorahasit) November 25, 2024
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