Male Bonding: Vol. 2 (Anthologies Series Book 4 Part 2) [Hardcover]

David A. Sprigle (Editor), José Villarrubia (Photographer)

Book Description

Series: Anthologies Series Book 4 Part 2 | Publication Date: November 1998

Male Bonding: Volume Two (FotoFactory Anthology Series, Book 4) features 120 handsome photographs of men together: working, playing, fighting and loving. Compiled by photo editor and archivist David Sprigle, Male Bonding - volume two offers an even more intimate portrayal of male relationships than his first book, Male Bonding. Sixty-eight of the world's finest photographers were selected for the diversity of their photographs. The resultant anthology is provocative, funny, touching and curious. This small but lushly printed book includes previously unpublished photographs by master fashion photographer, Francesco Scavullo, of the late Samuel Wagstaff with his lover, Robert Mapplethrophe, which were shot in Scavullo's New York studio in 1974. Aficianados will be intrigued by the scope of viewpoints, ranging from classic physique photography by Lon of New York and works by the late Steven Arnold to new material by Tracey Moffatt that was just exhibited at DIA Center for the Arts in Manhattan . Amos Badertscher, Clifford Baker, Rick Castro, Ed Freeman, Dean Keefer, Reed Massengill, Jeff Palmer, Stevee Postman, Mel Roberts, Stanley Stellar, and Arthur Tress were also inspired to participate in this diverse anthology.

The first "Male Bonding" book by David Sprigle is now SOLD OUT! Order "Male Bonding Volume 2" now, before it is gone too!

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

FotoFactory Press and the David Aden Gallery have combined efforts to offer an unique innovation in art and publishing. Male Bonding - volume two is the fourth in the series of the popular FotoFactory Press Anthologies. Anthologies 1, II, & III (Male Bonding, Beasts, and Uniforms respectively) were also compiled by David Sprigle. Each Anthology is a collection of photographic work by fine art photographers reflecting on a specific theme, proposed to them by Mr. Sprigle. Different artists are included in each book.

From the Inside Flap

This first edition of Male Bonding: Volume Two is limited to an edition of six thousand casebound copies.

Male Bonding: Volume Two (FotoFactory Anthology Series, Book 1- Part 2) coincided with an exhibition at the David Aden Gallery, Venice Beach, California November 13, 1998 through December 24, 1998

PRINT ACQUISITION

The photographs reproduced withing Male Bonding Volume Two are available as original prints signed by the artist. Orders and inquiries can be made directly to the David Aden Gallery, Venice Beach, California [e-mail] It was then, surrounded by this unorganized pile of fascinating images, that I began to contemplate a second volume.

With the popularity of Male Bonding, I was inundated with images from around the world from established photographers and new- comers to the craft. It was then that the tone of this collection began to take shape.

The intimacy of men together remains relatively unexplored in a fine art photographic context. Exposing the widest range of intimate interaction between men became my challenge.

Francessco Scavullo's tender portrait of Sam Wagstaff and his young lover, Robert Mapplethorpe (plate 4) taken in the artist studio in 1974, represents a tender emotional intimacy. The young Mapplethorpe holds his own hand as he embraces his lover as if to protect him or for protection himself.

By contrast, the documentary photographs of Australian photographer William Yang reveal a raw erotic intimacy between men which is often unsettling. In Plate 79 (Untitled #1) two young men lay uncovered on the bare wooden floor of a Sydney nightclub sleeping after an all night party. The arm of one man is gently draped across the side of the other revealing sweetness of the moment.

At first glance, Plate78 seems to portray two young men in classic athletic embrace. It is only through the title and further analysis that the true power of Yang's "Fighting Boys #1" is revealed.

This collection of images that compose Male Bonding Volume Two is but a fraction of the photographs which came my way while compiling this edition. My intention is only to refuel awareness of the vast range of intimate possiblities between men and inspire photographers of all levels to challenge themselves to create new ways of representing the complexities of the male relationship.

I wish to thank all the photographers who submitted work for this anthology as well as those whose work is reproduced in this book.

David Sprigle

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 140 pages
• Publisher: Fotofactory Pr; First Edition edition (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883923328
• ISBN-13: 978-1883923327
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #685,391 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Men Together, June 17, 2002

By 

scribbler1 "scribbler1" (Atlanta, GA 30305) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Male Bonding: Vol. 2 (Anthologies Series Book 4 Part 2) (Hardcover)

Sometimes compilations of photographs by many different photographers around a central unifying theme feels forced, but such is not the case with Male Bonding 1 and Male Bonding 2, published by FotoFactory Press and gathered under the creative and insightful eye of David Sprigle.

In both volumes, the many different aspects of the way males connect with each other are represented brilliantly, and not all of the photographs can be construed as love- romance- or even friendship-related. In Volume 1, for example, "Action," (1992) by Stanley Stellar depicts a pair of naked men with Marine jarhead haircuts; one man is punching the abdomen of the other, who stands staunchly receiving the blow.

The photographs included in both volumes include a very realistic representation of races, ages, and body types. These models are not (though the cover may seem to suggest otherwise) strictly the standard Abercrombie & Fitch paradigm, yet many of them are quite beautiful in their individuality.

Of course, love and romance are also included, and the images shown by some of the photographers are heartbreakingly tender. This is truer of Volume 1 than Volume 2, in which the feeling is more lustful than strictly romantic. "David & Michael," by Harriet Leibowitz, in which two men share a relaxed embrace, and Martin Meyer's "2 Guys, Squatting on Beach" shows that, even completely clothed, two men sharing a private moment can be shockingly intimate.

In Volume 2, the photographs in general are more graphic, but no less artistic for it. Reed Massengill's "Mud Love 1993" shows two young men, reclining in dirt, covered in mud, except for the penis of one, which is clean and untouched by dirt - but perhaps not by his friend, who mouth is only inches away.

In Volume 2, color photographs are included, but Volume 1 is completely black and white shots. In each case, the books are exquisitely printed and sturdily bound, which is essential for a book that will be perused over and over again, as these are sure to be by their owners.

5 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes!, December 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Male Bonding: Vol. 2 (Anthologies Series Book 4 Part 2) (Hardcover)

Following up on the success of Male Bonding I, Fotofactory Press has released Male Bonding - Volume Two. This hardcover book measures seven by seven and contains 117 duotone and color photographs by 67 artists -- 140 pages. Jeff Palmer's photographs are featured on three pages of this beautiful collectors' volume.