Aprops of nothing-just thought I would expand on a comment I made in TO's "gayest painting ever"thread.

I am helping to build a collection of books and art centering around Turn of the century English artists.

These of course include the pre-raphealites,touch on the Victorians,and often run unto the Bloomsbury group.And also have influence.and are influenced by many othe countries-mostly France and Japan-and include many American based artist as well.

What a bunch of queens!

Some of them were out-and led very out lives.Many of them were pretty badly closeted.Some of them were prosocuted for their same sex inclinations.Many were forced to move abroad.And yes-there was the occassional Heterosexual man.some clung to the church.

But even the closeted men of this circle were "Dandys"and many wrote in such purrple prose that their closets had glass panes.

It is an interesting era,and I appriciate the opportunity to continue my education-but jeez-today I had to reserch "The Faerie Queen"-and I just had to laugh!

Now back to the smut!

Great project!

Have you come across (sorry!) the minor but fascinating figure of Aleister Crowley? ...

Go into the Highways and Hedges, and compel them to come in

Let my fond lips but drink thy golden wine,

My bright-eyed Arab, only let me eat

The rich brown globes of sacramental meat

Steaming and firm, hot from their home divine,

And let me linger with thy hands in mine,

And lick the sweat from dainty dirty feet

Fresh with the loose aroma of the street,

And then anon I'll glue my mouth to thine.

This is the height of joy, to lie and feel

Thy spicéd spittle trickle down my throat;

This is more pleasant than at dawn to steal

Toward lawns and sunny brooklets, and to gloat

Over earth's peace, and hear in ether float

Song of soft spirits into rapture peal.

http://rictornorton.co.uk/crowley.htm

It is a very incestiuos group.Yes Crowley has appeared a few times.

I hate to say this-but I can see why even straight British guys come of as gay if this is what their schools are teaching

And the quoted purple prose is just about the norm.

I can see why the maverick poets coming out of WWI would be so embraced by the public.