Customer Reviews

Erotique: Masterpieces of Erotic Photography

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For only $22 you get an extensive collection of female erotic photos starting from the beginnings of photography (mostly anonymous classics), continueing into the middle of this century (Man Ray, etc.) and ending with modern photographers (Bob Carlos Clarke, etc.). Some photos are very subtle, some are explicit, and some are downright disturbing. The book provides a complete view on the history of the erotic photography and it's connection to the general cultural trends.

Wow! I bought this book as a Christmas present for my husband - I haven't given it to him yet, but I love it. Beautiful photos, arousing photos, artistic photos... This is a wonderful book of art. I am in absolute awe of the beauty of the female form, and the quality of photography in the book!

Okay. It's a book with naked women. Some of the pictures are nicely arranged, but most are just the usual vanilla pornography -- and I still don't quite get why it is that the bondage theme is so universally considered erotic. Seems like fully 25% of the pics in this book are devoted to bondage or lesbian bondage. I'd much rather just see nice bodies in interesting poses. [...]

"Erotique..." by Rod Ashford, NY, Thunder's Mouth Press, 1998 - ISBN 1-56025-168-9 (pbk), 9 in. x 11 in., 224 pg.

"Erotique" is splendidly published, large format printing (Spain)
of 198 photographs, mostly B/W, c. 1/4 in color & some hand-tint & sepias. Photos are divided into time periods: Historical, 1950-1979, 1980's, & 1990's (50%). Author has 13 pg. intoduction on erotic images, erotic content, medium of photography, & social impact. The book is not pornographic.

The dominant erotic theme: nudity using more or less contrived backgrounds to afford motif: -- 56 photos spiked heels, 35 chains, leathers, latex or whips, 16 were couples, 12 cuffs or writs restraints, 4 male companion, 4 spankings, & 2 sex toys. So...talisman & fetishism are part of "Erotique" & it merges with "Fetish" art portfolios.

Of the many photographers here, my favorites are: Rod Ashford, David Penprase, John Swannell, Gunter Blum, Charles Roff, Monika Robl, Thomas Karsten, David Hamilton. This is a good book for the coffee table.

Some photographers think what's erotic is what's hidden and left to the imagination. Two Thirds of the pictures in this book are fig leafed with shadows or clothing, leaving plenty to the imagination. Think of playboy magazine in the 1950's or Vogue or Madamoselle magazine today. Many of these are stylistic, but not very erotic. One in three of the photos in the book are erotic, not afraid of nudity. Don't make the investment in this book if you want high level eroticism. Instead get "Shaven Angels", "Natural Beauties", "100 Naked Girls", or "Crazy,Sexy Girls".

Nothing fascinates the human animal like the human animal. This remarkable collection documents that fascination using samples from the 1850s to 1990s. These two hundred or so photos span not only 140 years, but a wide range of moods and styles. Some of the images remain timeless. Oddly, however, the "naughty" pictures seem most tied to specific eras. Lingerie styles change quickly, so what might have been daring in 1880 or 1890 just looks like frumpy props from a costume drama to modern eyes. Then there was the peculiar 1950s-60s habit of airbrushing genital details out of the picture. That barbie-doll anatomical absence just looks creepy to me. And just what constitutes naughtiness? Images that pushed the edge in the 1920s hardly count as outrageous today. Sapphic scenes in 19th century images have a goofy staginess about them. Recent acceptance of same-sex sexuality allows more complex imagery, including tenderness at different levels of erotic intensity, asymmetry in the partners' roles, and more.

But, even if some styles and social conventions have evolved, the human form itself has endured. Anonymous photos from the 1850s look right at home next to Saudek's work from the 1980s. Reutlinger's 1890 portrait carries a bold directness that seems thoroughly modern. Park, Weston, and Muray addressed issues of form and composition in the 1920s, in ways that still look fresh.

With so many artists and styles, not all can appeal to all viewers - but I found many of them easy to enjoy. It's not necessary to like an image to be informed by it, however, and I found this collection very informative. Each image carries a message of its own, or more than one, but the collection's chronological organization combines those messages into larger stories.

-- wiredweird

If you are love glamour photography, this is one of the better books. World's great photographers share thier images, ideas, incredible lighting techiques here. This book will inspire others, who enjoy taking pictures, how to see things in different light. Not just "nudie" pictures, but incredible artform that kept me amazed and impressed.

This book is a fine representation of erotica through the ages with examples from portfolios of great photographers. This is a great anthology of primitive to the modern world of glamour/erotic photography.

Some are really masterpieces; others are just... casual photos with high quality.
Maybe is a good idea just buy the 70% of the book
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Algunas si son unas verdaderas obras de arte; otras son solo... fotos casuales de calidad
Tal vez sea mejor solo comprar el 70% del libro