The Italian artist Marco Zagato grew up in Florence where, following his aptitude and ease in drawing, he studied advertising graphics. Many of his early drawings included naked figures as protagonists, though at that time they were not specifically erotic.

In the early 2000s he moved to live in Barcelona for five years, during which time he created a series of works inspired by abstract expressionism painting; he also began to develop a science fiction comic book with two gay boys as protagonists. After his returned to Italy he started creating erotic drawings in black and white, which quickly found a response from his online followers; this led to drawings using coloured pencils and watercolour.

With his realistic style that blends pictorial effect with a taste for comics, Marco Zagato combines influences ranging from magic realism to surrealism with hints of symbolism. In this way he has approached the depiction of many characters and themes, especially mythology and Greek and Roman historical figures. Alexander the Great and Hephaestion, Emperor Hadrian and Antinous, Achilles and Patroclus, Heracles, Hermes, Perseus and Prometheus are among the main characters in his drawings, but he also portrays many of the minor characters, often the lovers of the more famous characters, not to mention slaves and gladiators struggling to regain their freedom and dignity.

Another of his favourite themes is that of angels, archangels, fallen angels and winged myths – the divine, the ethereal and the fantastic are blended together in these magical characters. Then there are his ‘pin-up boys’, young mechanics, eye candy cowboys, winking lifeguards and cheeky motorcyclists.

Through his art Zagato seeks to share something of his own experiences through an artistic language that might initially seem straightforward, but depicting the eroticism and spontaneous lustfulness of his characters is his own distinctive way of celebrating men’s beauty, desires and dreams.

Marco Zagato’s Instagram account, where he shows his most recent work, can be found here. His X account is here, and his Bluesky account here.