Harry Bush (1925–1994) was an American artist known for his homoerotic illustrations. Bush's highly detailed boy next door-style depictions of men made him one of the most notable artists of the era of beefcake magazines.[1]
Harry Bush | |
|---|---|
 Cover of Hard Boys, 2007 | |
| Born | 1925 |
| Died | 1994 (aged 68–69) San Juan Capistrano, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Erotic illustration |
Biography
editBush served in the United States Navy and United States Air Force during the Second World War, and had his first homosexual experience while deployed in the European theatre. He took up illustration as a pastime during the war; he was a self-trained artist who had previously taken only one community college drawing class.[2] Upon the conclusion of the war, Bush worked at the Pentagon until the early 1960s.[3][2] He retired from military service at the age of 40, and relocated to Los Angeles, California.[3]
In California, Bush's artwork was discovered by Bob Mizer, the founder of the Athletic Model Guild. In January 1966, Mizer published Bush's work for the first time in the beefcake magazine Physique Pictorial, making Bush the second artist after George Quaintance to be featured in the magazine.[4] Works by Bush were additionally published in Mr. Sun, In Touch, Stroke, and Drummer.[5] Bush, along with Lüger and MATT, was one of the last gay visual artists to originate in beefcake magazines; he continued to be published in the openly gay periodicals of the 1970s and 1980s that formed following the erosion of obscenity laws.[6]
Bush was notoriously reclusive, and critical of what he perceived as the superficiality of the gay community.[2] His isolation, combined with fears of copyright infringement, led him to destroy much of his original artwork.[3][7] Bush remained closeted for the majority of his life due to a persistent fear that he would be outed and subsequently lose his veteran's pension; despite this, he never worked under a pseudonym, and signed all of his art with his own name.[8]
In 1986, Bush was featured in Naked Eyes, an artist showcase organized by Olaf Odegaard that highlighted gay men's visual art for the International Gay and Lesbian Archives.[9]
Bush died in 1994 due to complications from emphysema.[8] An anthology of his surviving works was published posthumously in 2007.[5]
Style
editBush typically drew nudes of boy next door-style males in homoerotic or explicitly sexual scenarios. His works have been noted for their high degree of detail and realism, contrasting the more cartoonish styles of his contemporaries such as Tom of Finland. Bush painted exclusively in oils and watercolors.[8]
References
edit- ^ The Bob Mizer Foundation: Harry Bush’s Physique Pictorial Archived 2019-05-13 at the Wayback Machine. March 5, 2010. http://bobmizer.org. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
- ^ a b c The Bob Mizer Foundation: Reclusive artist created images of beauty, humor Archived 2019-05-13 at the Wayback Machine. April 4, 2017. http://bobmizer.org. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
- ^ a b c Krishtalka, Sholem. The surprising, sunny art of Harry Bush. November 4, 2007. Daily Xtra. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
- ^ The Bob Mizer Foundation: Physique Pictorial allotted space for other studios to hawk their wares Archived 2020-07-03 at the Wayback Machine. July 11, 2017. http://bobmizer.org. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
- ^ a b Mainardi, Robert (ed). Hard Boys: Harry Bush. Green Candy Press, November 28, 2007. ISBN ISBN 9781931160544.
- ^ Hooven, F. Valentine (1 September 2002). Beefcake: The Muscle Magazines of America, 1950–1970. Taschen. p. 93. ISBN 978-3822819807.
- ^ Juxtapoz Magazine: Harry Bush's Hard Boys Archived 2018-06-15 at the Wayback Machine. November 21, 2013. http://www.juxtapoz.com. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
- ^ a b c Phinney, Kevin: Why Harry Bush Was an Artist at War. August 28, 2015. http://out.com. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
- ^ "Finding Aid to the International Gay and Lesbian Archives Records, 1958-2002 Coll2012-002". Online Archives of California. Coll2012-002, Subseries 6.2. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
Further reading
edit- Bush, Harry (November 28, 2007). Mainardi, Robert (ed.). Hard Boys. Green Candy Press. ISBN 9781931160544.