Hard Boys [Paperback]

Harry Bush (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2007

Harry Bush’s drawings for magazines such as Physique Pictorial, Mr. Sun, Touch, Drummer, and Stroke combined masterful technique, exceptionally well-endowed subjects, and a wicked sense of humor that made his work extremely popular. Despite long periods of self-imposed retirement and a fear of being outed that led him to destroy much of his own work, the reclusive artist’s drawings were as recognized and recognizable as those of Tom of Finland throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Hard Boys examines the life and work of this brilliant, mysterious, and paradoxical gay artist. Featured are some of Bush’s best-known works along with previously unpublished drawings from the artist’s private sketchbooks, as well as excerpts from Bush’s correspondence that offer insight into a complex personality: egomaniacal artist, self-critical individual, frustrated homosexual, and acerbic social commentator. This eagerly awaited collection allows fans to rediscover Bush’s witty, beautifully executed work while exposing it to a much wider audience.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Green Candy Press (November 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931160546
• ISBN-13: 978-1931160544
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #653,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SUN SPLASHED RASCALS, November 20, 2007

By 

BOYWAY (new york city) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Hard Boys (Paperback)

A witty,light hearted and very energetic collection of crisp graphite drawings celebrating the sexy good times of the classic all-american, fresh faced lad. Mr.Bush's lush color pencil drawing mixes anatomical accuracy with bold cartoony touches brilliantly. His masterful rendering skills carves every muscle tone lovingly, obsessively etching and shading the biceps,deltoids, six pack and obliques to sheer perfection.Further more, Mr. Bush's sharp eye for only the most masculine young hunks playing out the classic 'boys will be boys' fantasy makes for a very unique and instantly recognizable body of work. The sun splashed settings and the happy go lucky attitude of his subjects gives the work a light and innocent spark. This unique approach clearly separates Mr. Bush's drawings from the two basic catagories that seems to dominate most contemporary homo-erotic art: the all too familiar gritty-piggy-sleaze (yawn) or the ridiculously glossy,extremely femme muscle queens(yuck). Mr. Bush worked from the 60's through the 80's and captured the mood of contemporary manhood in each era.His hilariously cute tongue-in-cheek narratives on many of the star boy toys from the 70's and 80's television and movies makes very clear just how popular the man-boy fantasy has been in American mass media. And considering the dark undertones of the artist's personal life, it's fascinating how bright and optimistic the mood of the work is. Mr. Bush's work shares the same enthusiasm for frisky teens as those depicted in the infamous catalogues that mr. Bruce Weber shot for Abercrombie and Fitch, which were soon banned for too much joyful nudity (courtesy of some joy starved censors). Marky Mark's sexy, cool persona in those sizzling Calvin Klein ads also comes to mind. God bless those incorrigible rascals..long may they rule (yeah)!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for any lover of the drawn male form., January 3, 2008

By 

Alan Everett Michael (Maryville, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hard Boys (Paperback)

I saw this book at a small bookstore and I bought it without hesitation. I didn't have to look inside, because I knew it didn't matter. It would be great no matter what. After seeing snippets of Mr. Bush's work online and in magazines, a monograph of his work has been on my mental wish list for years. As a child growing up reading comics, interested in art, and gay, I've always been taken with the precision and perfection exhibited in Harry's drawings. His art is somewhat hard to describe. The care and time put in to each drawing suggests painstaking realism, which causes the viewer to overlook some of the blatant exaggerations in the subjects' superhung endowment. Compared to Tom of Finland's work, which is too cartoony for my taste, Harry portrays a realistically exaggerated world of beautiful characters in the throes of budding manhood. The drawings are both erotic and fun, in addition to interesting to study as art. The almost all pencil-drawn pieces are crystal clear, with great care given to line weight and shading. The reproductions of the original pieces are very well done in the book, capturing little nuances like the texture of the paper they were drawn on, and notes Harry wrote to himself while drawing them.

I could write for days about this book, but in short I'd like to thank the authors for releasing it. Based on the story of Harry's life and attitude, it seems it is nearly a miracle that the drawings still exist for the world to enjoy.

As a college student in my early 20's, I never experienced gay culture before Stonewall; before AIDS. The art in this book portrays a care-free fun attitude throughout the '60's and '70's that I wish still existed. Even if it never really existed that way, Mr. Bush did a good job of making the fantasy as real as it could be.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The amazing artistry of Harry Bush, December 17, 2007

By 

David E. Exline "Design architect" (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hard Boys (Hardcover)

For anyone with an appreciation for gay male erotic art, this book is a MUST! Harry Bush was (is) clearly one of the great American illustrators, and this collection of images is a brilliant testament to his courage as a gay man in a gay-unfriendly world! The images are not only titilating, but each conveys a sense of humor and charm that would make virtually any adult observer feel at ease. This book just might swing a few homo-phobics on over to the "other side"... ENJOY!