Artworks in this gallery

• blob (2026) — Ancient Greek art during the classical period focused on the ideal depiction of men through Polykleitos’ treatise the Canon, which envisioned men with muscular bodies and stoic appearances. Leonardo da Vinci followed this ideal in the Italian Renaissance with his perspective of an ideal man that he tied into anatomy, mathematics, and architecture. These ideal images were seen in countless artworks during this time period, where muscular bodies and sound proportions dominated male depiction in art. There was little individual variation. Even though Greek art turned to the Hellenistic approach that included more drama, emotion, and backstory, elements of Polykleitos’ ideal male were still prevalent, and the same lingered with the Vitruvian Man and Italian Renaissance art. But throughout time, it was shown that this ideal was not only unrealistic for people to look like, but the heroic emotions seen in these stoic statues of the ideal male were not realistic for the human mind and soul in everyday life. So as art evolved, the expression of males came in different forms and facets, showing more emotion, struggle, individuality, experience, etc. The appearance of men has transformed, and began to stray from this straightforward way of thinking and morphed into creative expression and the unique human experience. The narrative that history painted for men in art and in general is trapping. “Abby Lupi, a resident artist at Muck Duck Studio, said “Positive Masculinity” should help to combat a persistent narrative,” notes Patrick Hosken, CITY’s arts and culture reporter. Art throughout history began to change the narrative, and the ideal male and masculinity took different shapes, or was abandoned and challenged into showing the ideal male doesn’t have a persistent narrative or singular image. As for the art pieces shown in the exhibit, we will see how art depicted men, and how the Classical Greek ideal male was left in history. Starting with Doryphoros and Vitruvian Man, we see the ideal male seen through two different cultures and time periods. These men are strong, mathematically proportional, and overall “perfect”. As time progressed, depictions of males changed to be more personal and realistic, straying from a single, idealized image. The Old Guitarist and Man with a Hoe show how men can be broken down, vulnerable, and also not always muscular and heroic. The personal approach these two paintings took added individuality into the male image and also resembled the artists personal struggles and the struggles of their communities. Finally, Wooden Boat People: Resurgence of the People shows a whole new image for the ideal male. Miss Chief Eagle Testicle flips the narrative and goes against the common male/female binary, as she is gender fluid, which adds diverse sexuality to the male image of today.
• Doryphoros, Polykleitos, marble, 450-440 B.C. (450) — Doryphoros, a Classical Greek nude marble copy statue, depicts a spear bearer who embodies the ideal male body and physique. Through the smoothness of his muscles and intricate anatomical structure, the idealized frame shows physical harmony and perfect proportions supporting the idea of Polykleitos’ treatise the Canon. The influence of the Cannon was prevalent throughout many Classical Greek artworks that exemplified ideal proportions, muscularity, stature, etc. The contrapposto stance is another detail that embodies Classical Greek art, and the statue overall encapsulates the ideal male image
• The Old Guitarist, Pablo Picasso, oil on panel, 1903-1904 (1903) — The Old Guitarist is a painting depicting poverty and the scars it causes with a somber tone. It was painted oil on panel by Pablo Picasso. Painted in 1903-1904, the use of blue and grey tones cause an immediate sorrowful feel in the painting, and the old man with his frail silver skin contrasts immensely with the guitar in hand acting as a focal point in the painting. The neck of the guitar guides your eyes to see the frail skin, ripped shirt, and blue background, along with his skinny body and hunched position. The man’s body somewhat blends in with the background, which shows how easily people who live in poverty are skipped over and neglected by society. The painting was made following Picasso’s loss of his good friend Carlos Casegemas, which was during Picasso’s “blue period”, hence the intense blue and grey tones that dominate the painting.
• Man with a Hoe, Jean-Francois Millet, oil on canvas, 1860-1862 (1860) — Painted oil on canvas, Jean-Francois Millet created Man with a Hoe to show the struggle and hardship that French peasants endure as rural laborers. The dim coloration of the background with earthy tones adds to the somber vibe and the naturalistic side of this painting. Being the focal point of the painting, the man is seen with a sorrowful expression that is emphasised with shadows over his eyes, giving off a sense of defeat and exhaustion. The haziness of the background also gives off a tired and exhausted feeling to the artwork. The man’s demeanor and posture are representative of the French peasant population that work tirelessly as manual laborers.
• Wooden Boat People: Resurgence of the People, Kent Monkman, acrylic on canvas, 2019 (2019) — "Wooden Boat People" by Kent Monkman is an acrylic on canvas painting done in 2019 that is part of his Wooden Boat People collection. This painting features his character, Miss Chief Eagle Testicle, standing on a boat filled with people of Native heritage and African Americans. There are some white men in the dirty water, and angry white soldiers seen in the background. Miss Chief Eagle Testicle, who is featured as one of the focal points in the painting, is seen standing up in the boat with a red scarf and glowing skin with a feather in their hand. The red scarf and glowing skin stands out in the painting, but the other people featured also help guide your eyes to see different occurrences such as the white men being saved from drowning, and a newborn baby. The people on this boat are experiencing emotions like determination, happiness, and love, such as the men clinging together looking into each other’s eyes. The different identities seen show the multicultural hub that America has become, and the angry soldiers in the background resemble those who oppose such diversity and unity.

About the creator

Ryan Moran on Galerra