Customer Reviews

Man: Photographs of the Male Nude

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

 

 

The guys in this book are muscled, often faceless, and not yet middle-aged. Some of them have oiled skin, or are wet. This is doctrinaire stuff: fairly routine gay male erotica (albeit rated PG-13 - because detumescent.) There's a stultifying sensibility amidst the 'come-hither' poses and angles in use here. The Mapplethorpian conventions are all here: buttocks, genitals, abs, biceps, quads. No eye contact. I was bored, because I had hoped for interesting photography,and a sense of the human beings inside the bodies - and instead got a parade of 'perfect' physiques -in conventional poses.

I was really impressed with this new book of black & white & sepia-tone photographs of nude male models by four leading photographers who are not as well-known as some of the top professional photographers (Weber, Ritts, Gorman, etc) we all know today, but who should be. "Man" is a stunning collection of beautiful photographs showcasing these four photographers who all have their very own individual style. There are over 150 pages of photographs presented here, a section for each artist.

Za-Hazzanani's photographs I found to be my favorite. She has a unique way of using the right lighting and of posing the models in such a way that they are very erotic and pleasing to the senses. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the other photographers images. Tony Butcher's beautiful photographs of nude black males are truly stunning, and his work reminds me a lot of Mapplethorpe's. Trevor Watson also showcases many black male models using light and shadows to highlight and sensual his images in just the right way. Toni Catany uses old calotype printing techniques which give his photographs of the nude male body intensity and a moody texture that makes them all seem like old photographs.

There is a wonderful introduction by Paul Ryan who gives a history of the development of male nude photography and it's gradual acceptance over the years. You'll also find a section of biographical notes on all the photographer's featured in this book. I enjoyed this collection from these four photographers I didn't know before, and this was a welcome introduction to their work. This is a frank and honest presentation of nude male models shown in a different and sexy way!

MAN: PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE MALE NUDE is not trying to be an erotic book of suggestive poses or innuendoes. The works of four male photographers -Trevor Watson, Tony Butcher, and Toni Catany - and the lone female photographer Za-Hazzanani are well presented in both black and white and sepia toned images and are more sculptural than expository.

The apparent intent of these photographers (or of the editor) is to present the nude male form as an art object and in doing so each of these fine photographers has succeeded in exploring muscle mass as it reflects or absorbs light and shadow. The models are of the 'ideal' sort and there is no pretense to encourage us to get to know the inner workings of the models' response to the art of photography. These fine photographs are more about Objective then Subjective, and in that stance they flow in this beautiful portfolio with an elegant sophistication. Grady Harp, March 05

I cannot get very excited about this volume of male nudes by four photographers. They are Trevor Watson, Tony Butcher, Za-hazzanani and Toni Catany. It should be pointed out, I suppose, that Za-hazzanani is a woman photographer, not that it makes any difference that I can ascertain in the quality of her work. My biggest objection here is that there is a tremendous sameness to the shots. For example, I would be hard put to tell the difference between Watson and Butcher's work if Butcher didn't just do black males. Many of the photographs are framed and composed nicely and beautifully printed; but the models could be made of marble. There's hardly a live one in the bunch. Mr. Catany's photos are sepia in color and grainy. At least you know which pictures are his, but I find his images no more interesting than those by the three other photographers.

Finally many of these photographs consist only of body parts with an inordinate number of close-up shots of someone's rear. There are very few images here of complete bodies-- feet, hands, legs-- the head bone connected to the neck bone-- as the old Spiritual goes. If only these bones could rise again.

There are many fine books of photography of male nudes on the market that will excite and inspire you. This one sadly is not one of them. Three stars is most generous, aka the Gentle Person's C.

Some of the reviewers were critical of this book but I found it to balanced and varied. Photographer Trevor Watson approaches the nude with an eye of androgyny. Both black and white models are used to convey the monumentality of the body rather than a narrative. However, the use of a thin black model repeatedly at the head of a staircase evoked a narrative, especially when the last of the photographs shows this young man staring through the rungs with the stance of those who wait for the lover to return. I wish all this series had been printed together in Duane Michael's style so that the narrative emerged. Sometimes photographs of nude males have an emphasis on musculature and not the genitals. Two of Watson's photographs show considerable thought and composition to show the genitals in the same flattering light as are torsos and buttocks. Tony Butcher's photographs are more likely to capture the elegance of the movement of nude men. Butcher uses all black models and he contrasts these models against stark white or darkest black. This means that the graphic linear nature of the male nude emerges from the high contrast photographs whereas a more textural, contextual sensation comes from the black men emerging from a black field. This use of a black field may evoke images of a shaman in one image but a Caravaggio impression in another. However he use of the stark white field creates some superb images where the nude becomes as basic and yet subtle as the Korus of ancient Greece and Crete. Za-hazzanani's photographs are more likely to be romantic, seductive, and even secretive. She uses white models that with long hair and goatees evoke images of pirates. They sleep with their genitals partially exposed under veils of sheets and silk. The male is often depicted in her images as sleeping, as if this is the only time a female may study the structure of the male. Toni Catany's photographs appear to be either photographed through gauze or printed on silk, the texture becomes part of the image. In contrast to Butcher's dancing men or Za-hazzanani's sleeping men, we often see odd and uncomfortable contortions in the poses that Catany captures in his models. Butcher captures the harmony of the male body in motion whereas Catany captures the dissonance. I found the contrasts between the photographers to be highly interesting and thought the book deserves a bit more credit than did some other reviewers.

Detailed descriptions of what this book contains (factually) have already been given. I would just like to add that some of the negative reviewers greatly exaggerate. It's not true that most of the photos are just body parts. There are numerous full-body or nearly full-body shots, and many that contain heads and faces. Personally, I'm not grabbed by the abstracting special effects in Toni Catany's work, because I prefer more straightforward photos--more like Tony Butcher's work, which easily exceeds Mapplethorpe's work, imo. Therefore I'd prefer spending my money on the works of one photographer I really like than on a sampling of several photographers, some of whom I don't prefer. It's really hard to rate art because tastes and opinions vary so much; the best reviews are those which carefully describe the work as objectively as possible, and some reviewers have done that here. So I don't expect my review to be particularly "helpful" beyond what they've said; but I did want to contribute to the overall rating.

Let's start with the good things. This collection is composed of high-quality images, well produced and well presented. The paper is high quality and the binding good. It is a good coffee-table book that won't offend many people.

The bad parts are legion, and I'm grateful that I was baought this book as a gift. I would have felt cheated if I'd bought it myself. Why? Well, firstly there are too many images of black men. This may be fine if you like oil-smeared, shiny black muscles but not if, like me, you are not a great admirer of photograhps of black men. This may not be the "PC" thing to say, but coming from England I'm not, thankfully, gagged by this most objectionable of American crazes. (It's an interesting thought that one is able to make all sorts of negative comments about pretty-boys or muscle-hunks, but say a negative word about black models and the wishy-wahsy liberals get their hair in a tizz).

Secondly, the poses are formulaic. They're stiff, uninteresting, mostly body-shots. There is little eye-contact with the models, and if there is they look totally bored by the whole process. How is it that Mapplethorpe managed to get so much more from these sort of poses?

None of the models even dares to smile - not even a small wry smile. As a viewer I'm totally uninvoled with the book. I'm not invited in to free my erotic imagination. I received this book at the same time I got Hoffman's book of pictures of Johan Paulik, and that book is the other side of the coin. I would happily leave this book out on the coffee table in the hope that someone would ask to borrow it and fail to return it. I would chain the book of Paulik photographs to the floor to stop it leaving the house.