A Private Cosmos; World of Tiers #3 1977

"A Private Cosmos; World of Tiers #3," was painted by Boris Vallejo, known for his heroic fantasy and erotica art. Vallejo gained prominence in the 1970s, a time when ideas about gender and sexuality were undergoing significant change. His work often features hyper-muscular figures, reflecting and perpetuating societal ideals of masculinity and femininity. Here, a centaur battles with a man, both figures bronzed and glistening, their bodies poised for conflict. Does this painting merely reflect a desire for a more primitive masculinity? Or, as in much heroic fantasy, are we meant to read it as a political statement? Given that heroic fantasy novels rose to prominence in tandem with the growth of both the feminist movement, and the gay rights movement it is hard not to see this painting, and so many other similar ones, as a kind of assertion of traditional masculinity at a time when gender roles were being challenged. Vallejo's work invites us to consider the relationship between power, desire, and representation, even as it presents an alternative vision of heroism.