1he 8eauLlful

8oy and Lhe CulL

of Lhe
Androgynous
8eadlng Camllle
aglla's loqoo
8eooty
Assoc rof Ierd|nand M Lopez
Iacu|ty of Arts and Letters
W 1he ALhenlan Lurn away from
women Loward boys was a
brllllanL acL of
concepLuallzaLlon un[usL and
ulLlmaLely selfLhwarLlng lL ls
neverLheless a cruclal
movemenL ln Lhe formaLlon of
wesLern culLure and ldenLlLy
W 1he Creek beauLlful boy as l
remarked earller ls one of Lhe
WesL's greaL sexual personae
Pls culL reLurns whenever
Apollonlallsm rebounds as ln
lLallan 8enalssance arL
W 1he beauLlful boy ls an
androgyne lumlnously
mascullne and femlnlne Pe as
male muscle sLrucLure buL a
dewy glrllshness
W Pls broadshouldered narrow
walsLed body was a masLerwork
of Apollonlan arLlculaLlon every
muscle group edged and
conLoured 1here was even a
ropy new muscle looplng Lhe
hlps and Lhe genlLals
W Classlc ALhens found Lhe
faLLy female body
unbeauLlful because lL was
noL a vlslble lnsLrumenL of
acLlon 1he beauLlful boy ls
Adonls Lhe CreaL MoLher's
sonlover now removed
from naLure and cleansed of
Lhe chLonlan Llke ALhena
he ls reborn Lhrough males
and clad ln Lhe Apollonlan
armour of hls own hard
body
W Ma[or Creek arL beglns ln Lhe
laLe sevenLh cenLury wlLh Lhe
Archalc kourus (youLh") a
more Lhan llfeslze nude sLaLue
of a vlcLorlous aLhleLe Pe ls
monumenLal human asserLlon
lmaglned ln Apollonlan
sLlllness Pe sLands llke
haraoh flsL clenched and one
fooL forward 8uL Lhe Creek
arLlsLs wanLed Lhelr work Lo
breaLhe and move WhaL was
unchanged for Lhousand of
years ln LgypL leaps Lo llfe ln a
slngle cenLury
W 1he muscles curve and swell
Lhe heavy wlgllke halr curls
and LufLs 1he smlllng kourus
ls Lhe flrsL fully freesLandlng
sculpLure ln arL
W ln Lhe broken record of Lhe
Creek arLlfacLs Lhe krlLlos 8oy
ls Lhe lasL kuorus Pe ls noL a
Lype buL a real boy serlous
and regal Pls smooLh shapely
body has a whlLe sensuallLy
1he Archalc kuorus was
always calllpyglan Lhe large
buLLocks more sLressed and
valued more Lhan Lhe face
W 8uL Lhe buLLocks of Lhe
krlLlos 8oy have a femlnlne
reflnemenL as eroLlc as
breasLs ln venLlan palnLlng
1he conLapposLo flexes
one buLLock and relaxes
Lhe oLher 1he arLlsL
lmaglnes Lhem as apple
and pear glowlng and
compacL
or 300 years Creek arL ls
fllled wlLh beauLlful boys
ln sLone and bronze We
know Lhe name of none
of Lhem 1he old
fashloned generlc Lerm
Apollo" had a cerLaln
wlsdom for Lhe sollLary
selfsupporLlng kuorus
was an Apollonlan ldea a
llberaLlon of Lhe eye Pls
nudlLy was polemlcal
W 1he Archalc kore (malden") was
always cloLhed and uLlllLarlan
one hand profferlng a voLlve
plaLe1he kourus sLands
herolcally bare ln Apollonlan
exLernallLy and vlslblllLy unllke
Lwodlmenslonal pharaonlc
sculpLures he lnvlLes Lhe
sLrolllng specLaLor Lo admlre hlm
ln Lhe round Pe ls noL a klng or
god buL human youLh ulvlnlLy
and sLardom fall upon Lhe
beauLlful boy Lplphany ls
secularlzed and personallLy
rlLuallzed
W 1he kourus records Lhe flrsL culL
of personallLy ln wesLern
hlsLory lL ls an lcon of Lhe
worshlp of beauLy a hlerarchlsm
selfgeneraLed raLher Lhan
dynasLlc
W 1he kuorus bore sLrange frulL
rom lLs bold clarlLy and unlLy of
deslgn came all ma[or Creek
sculpLure by Lhe 4
Lh
cenLury
female as well as male Pellenlc
arL spread LhroughouL Lhe
easLern MedlLerranean as
PellenlsLlc arL
W Medleval 8yzanLlne arL ln
Creece 1urkey and lLaly
wlLh lLs dour mosalc lcons of
ChrlsL vlrgln and salnL 1he
lLallan 8enalssance beglns ln
Lhe 8yzanLlne sLyle 1hus
Lhere ls a dlrecL arLlsLlc llne
from Archalc Creek kuorl Lo
Lhe sLandlng salnLs of lLallan
alLarpleces and sLalnedglass
wlndows of CoLhlc
caLhedrals PomoeroLlc
lconlsm goes full clrcle ln
popular lLallan Lheme SL
SebasLlan a beauLlful seml
nude youLh plerced by
phalllc arrows
W 1hose arrows are glances
of Lhe aggresslve
wesLern eye solar shafLs
of Apollo Lhe archer 1he
Creek kuorus lnherlLlng
LgypL's cold Apollonlan
eyes creaLed Lhe greaL
wesLern fuslon of sex
power and personallLy
W ln Creece Lhe beauLlful
boy was always beardless
frozen ln Llme AL
manhood he became a
lover of boys hlmself 1he
Creek boy llke Lhe
ChrlsLlan salnL was a
marLyr vlcLlm of naLure's
Lyranny Pls beauLy could
noL sLand and so was
caughL fullflower by
Apollonlan sculpLure
W uover demonsLraLes Lhe
crlLerla governlng deplcLlon
of male genlLalla opposlLe
Lo ours a small Lhln penls
was fashlonable a large
penls vulgar and anlmallsLlc
Lven brawny Percules was
shown wlLh boy's genlLals
1herefore desplLe lLs
pollLlcal paLrlarchy ALhens
cannoL be conslderedhorrld
worda phallocracy Cn Lhe
conLrary Lhe Creek penls
was edlLed from an
exclamaLlon polnL Lo a dash
W 1he beauLlful boy was deslred
buL noL deslrlng Pe occupled a
presexual or suprasexual
dlmenslon Lhe Creek aesLheLlc
ldeal ln convenLlon hls adulL
admlrer could seek orgasm
whlle he remalned unaroused
W 1he beauLlful boy was
an adolescenL hoverlng
beLween a female pasL
and a male fuLure
W 1he adolescenL male
one sLep over puberLy ls
dreamy and removed
osclllaLlng beLween
vlgor and languor Pe ls
a glrlboy mascullnlLy
shlmmerlng and
blurred
W 1he adolescenL ln
bloom ls a synLhesls
of male and female"
(!Z LgllnLon)
W 1hese youLhs have a
dlsLlncLly anclenL
Creek face hlgh
brow sLrong sLralghL
nose glrllshly fleshy
cheeks full peLulanL
mouLh and a shorL
upper llp
W Among Lhe Creeks
were Lhe mosL manly
men were found
among lnverLs lLs
qulLe obvlous LhaL lL
was noL Lhe mascullne
characLer of Lhe boy
whlch klndled Lhe love
of man lL was hls
physlcal resemblance
Lo woman as well as
hls femlnlne psychlc
quallLles such as
shyness demureness
and Lhe need of
lnsLrucLlon and help"
W 1he beauLlful boy ls Lhe
Creek angel a celesLlal
vlslLor from Lhe
Apollonlan realm
W 1he rosy Lngllsh or
AusLrlan cholrboy
dlsclpllned
reservedand hearL
sLopplngly beauLlful ls a
symbol of splrlLual and
sexual lllumlnaLlon
fused ln Lhe ldeallzlng
Creek manner We see
Lhe same Lhlng ln
8oLLlcelll's exqulslLe
longhalred boy angels
W 8uL beauLy has lLs own laws
lnconslsLenL wlLh ChrlsLlan
morallLy
W 1he Creek beauLlful boy was
a llvlng ldol of Lhe Apollonlan
eye As sexual personae Lhe
kourus represenLs Lhe Lense
relaLlon beLween Lhe eye
and Lhe ob[ecL LhaL l saw ln
neferLlLl and LhaL was absenL
ln Lhe venus of Wlllendorf
wlLh her easy forglvlng
spongy female ampllLude
W 1he beauLlful boy
ls a rebuke Lo
moLher naLure an
escape from Lhe
labyrlnLh of Lhe
body wlLh lLs
murky womb and
bowels
W Woman ln Lhe
ulonyslan mlasma
Lhe world of flulds
Lhe chLonlan
swamp of
generaLlon
W 1he culL of beauLy have
been perslsLlngly
homosexual from
anLlqulLy Lo Loday's halr
salons and houses of
couLure rofesslonal
beauLlflcaLlon of women
by homosexual men ls a
sysLemaLlc
reconcepLuallzlng of Lhe
bruLe facLs of female
naLure As aL Lhe 19
Lh
cenLury fln de slecle 1haL
aesLheLe ls always a male
never female
W 1he beauLlful boy ls
suspended ln Llme ls
physlcallLy wlLhouL
physlology Pe does noL eaL
drlnk or reproduce
ulonysus ls deeply
lmmersed ln LlmerhyLhm
muslc dance drunkenness
gluLLony orgy 1he beauLlful
boy as angel floaLs above
Lhe Lurmoll of naLure
Angels ln !udalsm Loo defy
chLonlan femaleness 1hls ls
why Lhe angel Lhough
sexless ls always a youLhful
male
W 1here ls no lesblan parallel
Lo Creek worshlp of Lhe
adolescenL
W vlslonary ldeallsm ls a male
arLform
W Lesblan aesLheLe does noL
exlsL
W 8uL lf Lhere were one she
would have learned from
Lhe perverse male mlnd
W 1he eyelnLense pursulL of
beauLy ls an Apollonlan
correcLlon of llfe ln our
moLherborn bodles
W lL ls ln Lhe 4
Lh
cenLury LhaL Lhe hermaphrodlLe
flrsL appears ln classlcal arL 1he plush creaLure
wlLh female breasLs manages Lo expose lLs male
genlLals elLher by a sllpplng cloak or a Lunlc
boldly ralsed ln rlLual exhlblLlonlsm
W 1he decoraLlve popularlLy of hermaphrodlLes ls
paradoxlcal for everywhere ln anLlqulLy Lhe blrLh
of a real hermaphrodlLe was greeLed wlLh horror
W Slnce a hermaphrodlLe blrLh was a bad omen
presaglng war dlsasLer or pesLllence Lhe
lnfanL was usually desLroyed or lefL Lo dle by
exposure
Concluslon
W Creek androgyny evolved from
chLhonlan Lo Apollonlan and
back vlLallsLlc energy Lo
godllke charlsma Lo loss of
manhood
W LffemlnaLe men have suffered
a bad press Lhe world over
W 1hus lL ls LhaL male and noL
Lhe female homosexuallLy
whlch has usually been
punlshed by law