Artistsalem

 

I sometimes go off about the impossible standards that Instagram imposes on us with the bunches of perfectly chiseled, perfectly styled and photoshopped men it barfs every day into our timelines. But (and this is a big but) I can't get enough of imaginary men who are perfect. Because then they make perfect sense. Yeah, I overthink everything. But you already knew that, no?

One of the artists on IG that seems to draw some of the most incredibly beautiful fantasy men I have seen may be Salem Beiruti. Or @artistsalem, as he goes there. His men to me have all the sensuality of a classical painting and the quirkiness of modern media. I love how the muscles seem to ripple under the taut skin and how the poses and situations seem whimsical but very, very grounded. It's a great combo.

@artistsalem

His drawings have a very 'classical painting' and 'classic masters' quality to them that just makes them dreamy. His men come across as fully realized as characters, but they retain a certain ethereal quality. Even the ones that seem to embody the hero mystique retain a dreamlike sense in their physicality. Love that journey for them.

Dave, are you sure you're not buying @artistsalem's artwork? This looks like your green wall! 

@artistsalem

The thing is, when portraying fantasy men, I find that an artist can paint them as close to ' classically perfect' as possible. It's his vision, after all. And we know those men do not exist outside of the realm of creation of the artist. My beef is with the idea that we need to fit a certain model imposed by other -real- men who literally dedicate every breathing second to keep up an unattainable image.

Oh, and it's not like Salem is not Daddy, though. Oh, yeah. Go ahead, give him a follow. His reels are fun. Go ahead, I know you wanna...

You can find his art on Insta and on his (beautiful) website.  I imagine he'd take commissions. I'd love to have some of his drawings. The thing is, with me, a mixture of fantasy and homoerotic always wins. What can I say? I like to watch men together. Without clothes. In romantic/heroic situations. Yeah. I'm that gay. Didn't you know?

@artistsalem

I love to draw, I love colours.

I love everything has to do with illustrations since I was a little child.

Growing up in Lebanon, I had this dream becoming a professional illustrator, so I started my journey to make this dream come true. 

I studied, graduated and worked as a graphic designer and illustrator in a publishing house.

I pursued that dream by illustrating books belonged to different writers. 

With time I became a senior art director in advertising, it was a good experience, but I always felt that it was not precisely the dream I had, until I took the biggest decision in my life. I left the middle east, moved to Madrid in Spain,  and finally fulfilled my dream to become a conceptual artist and illustrator.

The journey isn't over, it changed, it reflects directly in my art, it is about passion. 

@Salem.

And we can all see that passion he's talking about. We can almost touch it. I guess that's what makes his art so special...

XOXO