Customer Reviews

Self-Exposure : The Male Nude Self-Portrait

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The title says it all. Reed Massengill has put together a collection of male photographers doing nude-- for the most part-- self-portraits, a very creative idea for a book. In his "Introduction" to this volume he says: "The common thread that binds together these images is not simply that they are self-portraits by men; each of these artists shows us what is beautiful and different about their work and about themselves through these images." Certainly each photograph here is different; unfortunately, they are by no means all beautiful, although many of them are. In alphabetical order-- the way the photographers are presented-- Plate 4, John Arsenault; Plate 16, Armando Branco; all the pictures by John Dugdale; the two photographs by Mark Jenkins (beautifully lit and printed); Plate 91, Douglas Prince; and the two photographs by Brian To would meet the severest critic's requirements for beautiful. Then there are the erotic, the pornographic (by Jesse Helms' standards), the very creative, the cutesy, the dull and the just plain ugly. An inordinate number of photographers chose to present themselves as just body parts, reinforcing the cliche that if you have it, flaunt it. Several of the artists are into crossdressing and fetishes. And David Hockney forgot to remove his clothes.

The Pierre et Gilles and Jan Saudek self-portraits are as creative as we expect from these fine artists. A very young Robert Mapplethorpe, believe it or not, radiates innocence. Tom Bianchi's portraits are exactly what we would expect from him. There is obviously not a shy bone in his body. Both Arthur Tress and Duane Michals are to be commended for removing their clothes although they do not have beautiful bodies. There is an honesty and vulnerability in the Tress self-portrait that is very moving. Finally, Andy Warhol proves that anyone can take a bad photograph of himself.

Mr. Massengill also says in his introduction that he had to exclude a lot of "beautiful" work. Perhaps he will publish SELF-EXPOSURE TWO in the not too distant future.

Reed Massengill has created a book that will interest everyone who has followed the centuries-old fascination with artists' self-portraiture, a practice dating back to the beginning of art, blossoming in the Renaissance, and persisting through all periods of art change as a manner in which the artist can evaluate his own development as an observer - and as the mirror for the aging process. The difference between those images and the ones collected for this book is the fact that the self-portraits are photographs and hence less able to be 'altered' to enhance the artists' egos!

In a brief introduction actor Alan Cumming states 'I think everyone secretly wants to take nude self-portraits. To be able to see ourselves as others see us - whether passive or in the throes of passion - is always illuminating, but isn't it also erotic just to have in our possession an image that captured a moment in our lives when we were at our barest?' This is followed by a well-researched and very well written essay by Massengill himself who traces the history of photographic nude self-portraiture to an 1840 image of Hippolyte Bayard 'drowned' (staged of course is a case which became a cause célèbre in photography's history). Massengill continues his examples from Eadward Muybridge, Thomas Eakins, F. Holland Day, Andre Kertesz, and Herbert Tobias, bringing us into the 20th century when male nude photography became a true art form.

The photographs in this lavishly produced volume are by famous photographers as well as brilliant but not yet famous ones. The works are arranged in alphabetical order according to artist and range from frank frontal nudity, to gently subtle shadow work, to self-portraits in tandem with other models, to reflected images. Some are details of the body (JD Talasek, Shelton Walsmith, Steve Diet Goedde for example) while others are erotic and fully frank. Among the famous names included are Massengill himself, Hockney, Warhol, Mapplethorpe, Michals, Samaras, Saudek, Tress, Bianchi and their works are excellent and not the usual known images. For this reader the photographs by artists such as Jack Balas, Adam Raphael, Brian To, Roberto Rincon, cover photographer John Eric, and Robert Rye are the more refreshingly captivating.

Massengill graciously supplies brief bios of the artists along with website directories where more of each artist's work can be viewed. This is book that, yes, celebrates the male form, but it is so much more than that: it is a rare insight into artists' creative minds and reveals how they perceive themselves - and how they wish for us to perceive them! Highly recommended for a very broad audience. Grady Harp, November 05

Self-Exposure is an exploration of over 100 male photographers who have created nude self-portraits as part of their oeuvre. The self-portrait itself has been a major subject in art since at least the Renaissance. One need only think of Botticelli including himself with his patrons, or Rembrandt painting numerous self-portraits to record his appearance, age, and state of mind. But the male nude self-portrait is a new art form, largely explored only in twentieth century photography. Reed Massengill has brought together a unique collection of many of these images, pairing the works of masters such as Robert Mapplethorpe and Duane Michals with those of up-and-coming artists such as Anthony Goicolea and Kobi Israel. The result is an amazing exploration of the male nude self-portrait in all of its diverse color, black-and-white, and mixed media possibilities. There are works by both gay and straight artists, and the images range from the classic to the controversial. Two of my personal favorites: Kelly Grider's Hamden Woods, with the artist overshadowed by the haunting forest that threatens to swallow him; and the two works by Gerald Mocarsky from his In My Bed series, where the voyeur peers at the artist surrounded by walls, catching him in the act of self-fulfillment, and in the second, in a disturbing moment of psycho-sexual despair. Massengill's introductory essay, "Our Fascination with Revelation," provides a historical background to the subject, and asks us to consider what the nude self-portrait actually "reveals" about the photographer, about us, and the inevitable visual relationship between the two. The brief biographical entries and the web sites included at the end of the book are very helpful. However, for the collector of art books, the reproductions are what make this book exquisite. Self-Exposure is without a doubt one of the most beautiful photography books published this year.

There are many many "art" books depicting the male nude. VERY FEW of them have any art. Most of them are glamour shots of young buff men posed on a couch or by a pool or on the beach or wherever and the main thing you can say for them is that they are in focus. This book is about serious photographic artists turning their cameras on themselves and going for ART - not just pretty. There's plenty of pretty, but that's not the point, the point is that you can have pretty and art at the same time - and sometimes you have art and not pretty - and art is more important. If you'd like an art book of naked men to add to your pretty books of naked men, get this book. You will not regret it.

This book is extremely erratic in quality. It has some images that are truly fine art. But, buyer beware! Read that title and be warned that it IS "SELF-EXPOSURE". It has about five images that are truly artistic and fantastic photos, but the range goes downhill from there to include anything and everything an exhibitionist might want to show you and much more that you might involuntarily say: "Oh, YUCK!" at. Maybe it is just my taste but why would anyone want to view self-exposed pics of a saggy, older, overweight person sitting in a chair with his legs open? (and, this is a saggy older person speaking) Then, there is the couple with man holding gun in woman's mouth.
I had high hopes for this book and was greatly let down. I'm an artist who has always loved to draw and sculpt the human form (I hate painting clothing on it as the skin is so beautiful). It is just that this book has so few images that have any redeeming qualities that might inspire, satisfy, glorify the human body, or to educate someone. There are quite a few pictures that I would not want found in my home however and I found quite objectionable.
And, since bad publicity is good sales also, I have probably just sold a few more books for the author. More power to him. But, I do think you should be aware before you buy.

At least ninety artists work is shown in a beautifully printed and well presented book. Everything is done well, the forward and introduction, the references to artists web presence, the variety of the selections; personal, obscure, in-your-face, from subtle to campy obvious, many different personalities take the art of the nude in photography another step forward.
Recommended.

"Self-Exposure" is one of the better photography books on the ever-expanding field of male nudes. Both the content and production quality are excellent. It is fascinating to see how the photographers reveal themselves--some, such as Tom Bianchi, quite explicitly. Alan Cumming, in his forward, proves once again that for this actor the subject is always himself.