"Adam and Steve in Hawaii" by Tony de Carlo, 2013
(This post was written for the Queer Theology Synchroblog 2013.)
Who says God didn’t create Adam and Steve? Artist Tony De Carlo affirms the goodness of same-sex love by painting the original gay couple.
He reimagines the Biblical creation story from a queer viewpoint. It’s visual theology in response to those who oppose LGBT rights with the foolish argument that “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.”
De Carlo has done more than 20 paintings of Adam and Steve as the original gay couple. I am posting some of them today for the annual Queer Theology Synchroblog. The theme this year is “Queer Creation.” A synchroblog is when a group of people all write about the same topic on the same day and post it to their personal blogs. We are creating our own queer versions of the creation myth.
De Carlo is a native of Los Angeles, now living in Savannah, Georgia. Raised Catholic, he started painting religious subjects to counteract the church’s demonization of LGBT people. His paintings confront the hypocrisy of the church, which has a long history of homoerotic images but condemns homosexuality. His work is exhibited regularly in museums and galleries throughout the United States.
Watch the relationship between Adam and Steve unfold -- usually with the snake and forbidden fruit from the creation story in Genesis.
“Adam Y Steve” by Tony De Carlo
“Adam And Steve In Eden” by Tony De Carlo
"Adam and Yves" by Tony de Carlo
“Adam and Steve, Ants and Bees” by Tony de Carlo, 2013
"Domestic Life of Adam and Steve" by Tony de Carlo
"Adam and Steve and Child" by Tony de Carlo, 2013
"Adam and Steve on the Farm" by Tony de Carlo
“Adam and Steve and the Banana Tree” by Tony De Carlo
“Adam and Steve in 14 Countries” by Tony De Carlo shows them on an island made of flags from the countries that recognized marriage equality when he painted it earlier this year.
For more on Tony De Carlo and his art, see my previous post:
Gay saints, Adam & Steve, and marriage equality art affirms LGBT love: Tony De Carlo Interview.
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Check out the other entries
in the Queer Theology Synchroblog
Queering Our Reading of the Bible by Chris Henrichsen
Queer Creation in art: Who says God didn’t create Adam and Steve? by Kittrdge Cherry
Of The Creation of Identity (Also the Creation of Religion) by Colin & Terri
God, the Garden, & Gays: Homosexuality in Genesis by Brian G. Murphy, for Queer Theology
Created Queerly–Living My Truth by Casey O’Leary
Creating Theology by Fr. Shannon Kearns
Initiation by Blessed Harlot
B’reishit: The Divine Act of Self-Creation by Emily Aviva Kapor
Queer Creation: Queering the Image of God by Alan Hooker
Queer Creation by Ric Stott
Eunuch-Inclusive Esther–Queer Theology 101 by Peterson Toscano
Valley of Dry Bones by Jane Brazelle
Queer Creation: Queer Angel by Tony Street
The Great Welcoming by Anna Spencer
Queer Creation by Billy Flood
The Mystery of an Outlandishly Queer Creation by Susan Cottrell
We’ve Been Here All Along by Brian Gerald Murphy
God Hirself: A Theology by T. Thorn Coyle
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Related links:
TonyDeCarlo.com
Tony De Carlo on Facebook
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This post is part of the Artists series by Kittredge Cherry at the Jesus in Love Blog. The series profiles artists who use lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and queer spiritual and religious imagery.
Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
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Jesus in Love Blog on LGBT spirituality and the arts