Customer Reviews

Male Bondage: Art Deserves a Witness

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As any industry matures, we begin to see a certain craftsmanship that just didn't exist before. In the adult industry, such is true, though adult media is rarely considered artful or even Avant-garde.

But Darkholme's treatment of bondage as an aesthetic really does define the bondage scene and will become part of our zeitgeist. This tall Asian dabbler in art not only prepares each scene meticulously, but he also improvises with his own ropework and lighting, and finally he photographs his subject with self-taught grace.

The result is a palette of moods and predicaments, all with the common theme of individuality and expression. The book is a collector's item, and though I rarely invest in coffee table books, I do highly recommend this one to both BDSM hunters and your average Jane or Joe.

Artistry in rope and the male figure.

There is almost an industry of itself in pictures of bound females. (Just do a search on the Internet if you don't believe it!) Here is the same sort of pictures, but the subject is the male. The photographer is a professional. And it is published by Bruno Gmunder, the german publisher that pioneered high quality gay publishing. What more can you ask for?

Perhaps the most outstanding difference between these photographs and those you find on the Internet is the quality of the rope work. The binding is so symmetrical as to be an art form of its own. The rope is wrapped around ideally shaped, strong, young men. The book is truly a work of art, and a work of art that is not generally appreciated in our society but which will be a cornerstone of affectionados.

Just an absolutley stunning book, photos are high quality, men are also..

A nice variety of different men and every one is easy on the eyes.

Sexy, stylish and worth every penny.

While other comments rightfully appreciate the artistry of the ropework and composition of the photographs, such detail might not make it clear that this is A VERY HOT BOOK (whether one consciously analyzes the aesthetic perspective or not). And, given the erotic intensity in many of the pictures, I disagree with the comment that "purient" appreciation is an insult to Van Darkholme. It certainly is true, however, that these pictures are in far better class than those generally intended for that commercial segment.

This book got me hooked as soon as I browsed through it at Bruno Gmünder's shop in Cologne, Germany. It is the book that got me started with rope bondage myself. I never thought of it before because I am not interested in the dominance/submissive part of rope bondage, but indeed in the beautiful patterns and textures it creates on a male body. This book demonstrates that aspect of rope bondage to the fullest, including the erotic dimension.

The other reviews say enough about the book itself, I just wanted to comment on the impact it had on me, as I'm sure it will have on you.

Note that this is not a manual on rope bondage techniques, other books cover that sufficiently.

This is a wonderful book. The rope bondage is excellent, the models are buff, and the photography is superb. (I have always liked Van Darkholme's ropework in his videos, but I never realized what a good photographer he is.)

If you think rope bondage is just about tying up girls, you have been missing out. The images of strong men bound in strong hemp rope exude strength. It is a completely different (and complimentary) feel.

This is a book that every Shibari lover should own.

Lynn G, Rope Fashions

Not sure what book Sir Nigel Irvine (1 star review) opened up, but this book is beautifully done with gorgeous men. It really brings out the eroticism of this kind of bondage. This book is by no means nothing but older men and bound penises. First, older men (which is what in his view? Over 25?) can and are very sexy. Secondly, it "is" bondage and most of the photography is of the entire body. Beautiful book!!

This book has terrific images about two pleasures, the first one submission, the other one eroticism taken to higher levels. The imaginery in this book is special, for those who want fulfill the senses with a specific kind of art. All the photographs were precisely shot and beautiful.

There will be those who purchase this fine book hoping for only the prurient. That's not only unfortunate but an insult to a brilliantly conceived and executed volume. Van Darkholme knows that a man is a systematic construction of parts. The use of rope serves to identify and isolate the body, rather as an architect plans floors for a structure. Each has a purpose, each has an access. In this process of isolation the photographer asks that we see what he sees and succeeds. From the exoskeleton of a building, we see the flesh and how it is supported by the rope/girders. It is as if man becomes the Pompidou center, all the disparate parts shown and their intimate connections revealed. Finally, the last few scenes are a mute testimony to tragedy. The collapse of the coherent to the cruelty of the people who would criticize that which they refuse to understand or accept. It is not only art observed, but art as applied.

"Male Bondage" is a hardcover book with photos from Van Darkholme. It does have the 80 pages as advertised, and each page is nice, firm photo paper. It is published, overall, with quality in mind, and it should last a long time from when you purchase it. Each one of the pages (usually) includes just one, huge picture while some of them split it between a picture and some text or just a couple pictures.

As you can imagine, a lot of the pictures feature rope on the male being pictured. This rope bondage is usually tied in a Western style though there are some places where there was obvious Shibari influence with the ties. The rope bondage is usually full body harnesses with a large amount of rope bondage on the male genitals as well. A couple suspensions are pictured. I was also surprised because almost all of the males are shown with an erection instead of flaccid.

A lot of guys in this book are in their late twenties and thirties. All of the males are pretty muscular and have a model-like quality about them. I was a bit disappointed by the large amount of models that featured a lot of tattoos, but they still were attractive. Just like I don't like seeing a large amount of tiny women with fake breasts, I do wish this book had included some different body types aside from large and muscular. Other types of men do exist. While some guys have some body hair (and only a tiny bit), the vast majority seem to be waxed bare.

The pictures all look like art. The lighting shown is usually soft lighting that takes away from some of the "flaws" that guys have. Sometimes the subject can be difficult to see, but it all looks like great art instead of the harsh lighting of pornography. It's a great collection of men tied in rope bondage - as hard as it is to find pictures like that, I'm glad to have found it in a nice collection like this.