NewsVoicesArts & EntertainmentCrimeEducationHealthLove & SexPeoplePoliticsSports
    OUTPrideOut TravelerPLUSADVOCATE CHANNEL
    Support UsSubscribeSubscriber ServicesEmail Newsletter Signup
    CONTACTAbout UsCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
    © 2025 Equal Entertainment LLC.
    All Rights reserved
    Advocate.comAdvocate.com

    #TBT: John B. Lear's Surrealist Male World

    Christopher Harrity

    Christopher Harrity is the Manager of Online Production for Here Media, parent company to The Advocate and Out. He enjoys assembling online features on artists and photographers, and you can often find him poring over the mouldering archives of the magazines.
    Christopher Harrity is the Manager of Online Production for Here Media, parent company to The Advocate and Out. He enjoys assembling online features on artists and photographers, and you can often find him poring over the mouldering archives of the magazines.
    Read Full Bio
    Christopher Harrity
    09/10/15
    xtyfr

    Scroll To Top

    By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

    Accept
     
    John B. Lear
      • Share using fb
      • Share using tw
      • Share using pt
      • Share using tl
      • Share using em
    • Close sharing options
    • Show sharing options

    John B. Lear

    John B. Lear (1910-2008) concentrated on the beautifully proportioned male figure for most of his career. His style is influenced by mid-century artists such as Paul Cadmus and George Tooker, but many of his fantastical, surrealist settings are not dystopian, but whimsical and brightly colored. His career spanned more than 70 years, and his works are in the permanent collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and several other museums.  According to his obit in the Philadelphia Inquirer, he was not sent to battle in World War II, but instead his talents were used for illustrating military manuals and painting portraits of the top brass. Even though he was not sent overseas during the war, his niece Susan MacBride told the Inquirer that the surreal aspects of his art were influenced by "his horror at the destruction of life and the beauty of the world."

    Grid Icon
      
    xtyfr
    close button
    Artist SpotlightArts & EntertainmentSlideshowArt
    xtyfr

    More Galleries

    The incomparable Lady Bunny and her unnamed date
    Drag

    Drag Me to the Catskills: A weekend of camp and comedy in the woods

    May 29 2025 8:30 PM
    Boys! Boys! Boys! podcast: A new voice in queer culture
    Art

    Boys! Boys! Boys! podcast: A new voice in queer culture

    May 01 2025 5:03 PM
    Cobblestones, castles, and culture: Your LGBTQ+ guide to Edinburgh
    Travel

    Cobblestones, castles, and culture: Your LGBTQ+ guide to Edinburgh

    April 30 2025 12:44 PM
    French Polynesia: LGBTQ+ inclusivity beyond expectations
    Travel

    No Pride flags needed in French Polynesia

    April 07 2025 11:16 AM
    Karan Soni stars in "A Nice Indian Boy," in theaters starting April 4
    film

    Out and About with Karan Soni

    April 04 2025 8:00 AM
    Edie © Jane Hilton; Justin Anz, Ranch Hand, Olney, Texas © Jane Hilton; Mirage © Jane Hilton; Pate Meinzer, Cowboy, Benjamin, Texas © Jane Hilton
    Photography

    Jane Hilton's 'Cowboys & Queens' captures the modern American dream

    March 28 2025 6:27 PM