George Quintana was born George L. Quaintance on June 3, 1902 in the Marksville District of Page County, Virginia. His father was George H. Quaintance, a farmer and a dry goods merchant. His mother was Ella Belle Quaintance. He also had an older sister, Nannie. The family lived on Alma Road.
He attended Stanley High School until June of 1920, where he was popularly acclaimed for his artistic talent in school plays and the school yearbook. After graduating he moved to New York City, where he attended night classes at the Art Students League.
During his student years in NYC he also studied dance and began a stage career as a professional dancer. He married a ballerina, Miriam Chester, in August 1929, but their relationship ended in divorce before their first anniversary.
His first art assignments were anonymous advertising work, but by 1934 he had begun to sell freelance cover illustrations to a variety of "spicy" pulp magazines, such as Gay French Life, Ginger, Movie Humor, Movie Merry Go-Round, Snappy Detective Mysteries, Snappy Stories, Stolen Sweets, and Tempting Tales. These were sold at burlesque halls as well as under-the-counter at discreet newsstands. These illustrations, which were clearly influenced by Enoch Bolles, were often signed "Geo. Quintana."
In 1938 he met Victor Garcia, who became his life partner and most valuable model.
In 1944 he was appointed art director of the Bonomo Culture Institute at 1841 Broadway, which promoted the self-help regime of Joe Bonomo, a famous and charismatic body builder who appeared in several motion pictures.
In 1948 he moved to Los Angeles, CA, where he wrote, illustrated and did photography for a line of body building magazines, which included Body Beautiful, Physique Pictorial, and Your Physique.
In 1952 he moved to Rancho Siesta in Phoenix, Arizona, where he concentrated on creating his most accomplished series of homoerotic fantasy paintings, which have since been recognized as historically influential.
According to the artist,"I paint the world I see, while overshadowing and overlaying it with my emotions, my beliefs, and my culture."
George Quaintance died of a heart attack at age fifty-five on November 8, 1957.
© David Saunders 2009 |
