Contemporary artists, influenced by the transformations and challenges of the 20th century, persist in expanding boundaries and examining the male body in increasingly varied and intricate manners. Their work frequently embodies contemporary social, political, and cultural discourses around identity, sexuality, vulnerability, and the body as a locus of individual and communal significance.
DIVERSE REPRESENTATIONS
Contemporary art has unequivocally diverged from singular depictions of masculinity. Artists currently explore a diverse array of masculine identities, including variations in colour, physique, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Kehinde Wiley’s monumental portraits, exemplified by Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps (2005), reinterpret classical Western artworks featuring current Black male figures as subjects. By incorporating these characters within conventional heroic and Eurocentric visual vocabulary, Wiley not only reclaims a position in art history but also analyses the racial dynamics of visibility and power (Wiley, n.d.).
Conversely, Salman Toor presents intimate and sensitive depictions of LGBT South Asian guys in quotidian domestic settings. Works such as The Bar on East 13th Street (2019) eschew monumentalism in favour of vulnerability, examining issues of alienation, community, and cultural hybridity. His paintings serve as a subtle contrast to the conventionally stoic or eroticised male form, instead presenting serene themes of belonging and introspection (Toor, n.d.).
Fig. 1. Kehinde Wiley, Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps (2005). Oil on canvas, 274.3 × 274.3 cm. Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York.
This monumental work reimagines Jacques-Louis David’s iconic portrait of Napoleon, inserting a contemporary Black man in modern clothing, reclaiming space in historical narratives.
Pierre et Gilles, the French collaborative pair, amalgamate photography and painting to produce baroque, frequently homoerotic depictions of males that contrast classical mythology with kitsch aesthetics. In Mercury (2001), a masculine figure adopts a godlike stance akin to classical sculpture; nonetheless, the vivid colours, shimmering background, and theatrical elements infuse queer desire and fantasy into conventional heteronormative imagery. Their work subverts both the perspective and the tradition it alludes to, implying that beauty, sensuality, and spectacle need not adhere to prevailing standards.
Sylvia Sleigh, a prominent pioneer in feminist art, explicitly confronted the gendered aspects of the nude. Lawrence Alloway's picture Reclining Nude (1973) recontextualises the male form in a pose traditionally associated with female subjects—sensuous, contemplative, and designed for contemplation. Her portrayal is profoundly sympathetic and sensitive, devoid of objectification. Sleigh's reversal of the gaze exemplifies the reconfiguration of gender and representation through art (Sleigh, 1973).
Fig. 2. Salman Toor, The Bar on East 13th Street (2019).
Fig. 3. Pierre et Gilles, Mercury (2001).
Fig. 4. Sylvia Sleigh, Lawrence Alloway’s Reclining Nude (1973).
PHOTOGRAPHIC ART AND PERFORMANCE ART
Photography and performance art have demonstrated their efficacy as mediums in this continuous study. Wolfgang Tillmans's informal, diary-like photographs—exemplified by Lutz & Alex Sitting in the Trees (1992)—depict male companionship without explicit eroticism. His art blurs the distinctions between public and private, formal and informal, presenting alternative masculinities rooted in transparency and emotional engagement (Tillmans, n.d.).
Performance has functioned as a potent medium for addressing racial and sexual identity. In Tongues Untied (1989), Marlon Riggs employed film as a corporeal medium of performance, integrating spoken word, dance, and documentary to highlight the lived experiences of Black gay men. His body serves as a locus of defiance and narrative, contesting obliteration and asserting acknowledgement.
Fig. 5. Wolfgang Tillmans, Lutz & Alex Sitting in the Trees (1992).
Fig. 6. Marlon Riggs, Tongues Untied (1989).
CONFRONTING CONVENTIONS
Artists such as Paul McCarthy utilise the grotesque and bizarre to deconstruct sanitised portrayals of masculinity. His performances and sculptures—frequently incorporating physiological fluids, exaggerated phallic shapes, or violent absurdity—subvert traditional ideas of strength and beauty. McCarthy's oeuvre is unsettling; it challenges the observer with the primal, the excessive, and the performative, undermining the male figure's assertion of authority or composure (McCarthy, n.d.).
Furthermore, contemporary art increasingly embodies an acceptance of gender fluidity and non-binary expression. The strict binaries of previous times are being supplanted by representations of the body that resist simple categorisation. Artists like Cassils utilise their own shifting bodies in performances like Becoming an Image (2012) to interrogate the dynamics of power, gender, and perception as they manifest via the corporeal form.
Fig. 7. Paul McCarthy, Santa with Butt Plug (2007). Middelheim Museum, Antwerp.
Fig. 8. Cassils, Becoming an Image (2012).
THE BODY ANS A SOCIAL AND POLITICAL COMMENTARY
The male physique in contemporary art is both intimate and profoundly political. The AIDS pandemic compelled artists to confront themes of fragility, mortality, and action. Félix González-Torres’s Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) (1991)—a dwindling pile of sweets as viewers partake—transforms the body into a symbol for loss and love, challenging the silence around LGBT mortality while encouraging social engagement.
Even in non-crisis contexts, the male figure is employed to examine systems of control, violence, and consumption. Artists such as Hank Willis Thomas recontextualise historical imagery—such as sports commercials and slave auction posters—to illustrate the commodification, control, and aestheticisation of Black male bodies throughout history. In this process, he conflates past and present, exposing the intricate interconnections among race, gender, and capitalism.
Fig. 9. Félix González-Torres, Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) (1991).
Fig. 10. Hank Willis Thomas, Scarred Chest (2003).
An interactive installation of 175 pounds of candy, symbolizing the ideal body weight of the artist’s partner Ross, who died of AIDS. Viewers are invited to take a piece, echoing the gradual loss from illness and the tenderness of love.
Modern investigations of the masculine physique in art are marked by an emphasis on inclusion, diversity, and emotional complexity. Artists are systematically dismantling conventional norms, addressing global challenges, and formulating innovative visual languages for masculinity that encapsulate the intricacies of the 21st century. The male body remains a dynamic subject of exploration, including themes of sensuality, satire, fragility, and defiance—illuminating both the essence of masculinity and the nature of perception.
REFERENCES
Wiley, K. (n.d.). Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps. Retrieved from [https://www.kehindewiley.com].
Toor, S. (n.d.). The Bar on East 13th Street. Retrieved from [https://www.luhringaugustine.com/artists/salman-toor#tab:thumbnails].
Sleigh, S. (1973). Lawrence Alloway Reclining Nude. Retrieved from [https://www.sylviasleigh.org].
Tillmans, W. (n.d.). Lutz & Alex Sitting in the Trees. Retrieved from [https://tillmans.co.uk/installation-views-archive].
McCarthy, P. (n.d.). Artist portfolio. Retrieved from [https://www.paulmccartney.com].
Riggs, M. (1989). Tongues Untied. Signifyin’ Works.
IMAGES
Fig. 1. Kehinde Wiley, Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps (2005), oil on canvas, 274.3 × 274.3 cm. Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York.
Fig. 2. Salman Toor, The Bar on East 13th Street (2019).
Fig. 3. Pierre et Gilles, Mercury (2001).
Fig. 4. Sylvia Sleigh, Lawrence Alloway’s Reclining Nude (1973).
Fig. 5. Wolfgang Tillmans, Lutz & Alex Sitting in the Trees (1992).
Fig. 6. Marlon Riggs, Tongues Untied (1989), film still.
Fig. 7. Paul McCarthy, Santa with Butt Plug (2007). Middelheim Museum, Antwerp.
Fig. 8. Cassils, Becoming an Image (2012), performance still.
Fig. 9. Félix González-Torres, Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) (1991), installation with candies, ideal weight 175 lbs.
Fig. 10. Hank Willis Thomas, Scarred Chest (2003).