Exillior

Art as a means of expression has always allowed for individuals to be true to themselves, and that is especially true of LGBTQ+ art throughout history. Though there are too many inspiring examples to include in a single journal, we wanted to share some notable LGBTQ+ artists from history. A very recognizable early example would be the Archaic Greek lyric poet Sappho, whose works have been celebrated for their focus on love between women—so much so that the words “sapphic” (an adjective referring to women who love other women) and “lesbian” were derived from her and Lesbos, the island she was from. An example of gender identity in historical art is Claude Cahun, a French photographer who expressed themselves as gender neutral, not finding that masculine or feminine traits suited them consistently. Though they created primarily for themself and didn’t have interest in fame, their works—and similarly, the works of their partner Marcel Moore—challenged the notion of gender and how it

Art as a means of expression has always allowed for individuals to be true to themselves, and that is especially true of LGBTQ+ art throughout history. Though there are too many inspiring examples to include in a single journal, we wanted to share some notable LGBTQ+ artists from history. A very recognizable early example would be the Archaic Greek lyric poet Sappho, whose works have been celebrated for their focus on love between women—so much so that the words “sapphic” (an adjective referring to women who love other women) and “lesbian” were derived from her and Lesbos, the island she was from. An example of gender identity in historical art is Claude Cahun, a French photographer who expressed themselves as gender neutral, not finding that masculine or feminine traits suited them consistently. Though they created primarily for themself and didn’t have interest in fame, their works—and similarly, the works of their partner Marcel Moore—challenged the notion of gender and how it