Sinners & Saints [Hardcover]

Anthony Gayton (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2005

In this stunning collection of homoerotic images, noted photographer Anthony Gayton presents a provocative body of work based on the history of gay culture. Inspired by sources as diverse as mythology, renaissance and baroque painting and early photography, his pictures are always highly stylized and masterfully composed. Whether painterly images of bacchanals, straightforward evocations of Hollywood beefcake from the 1940s and 1950s, or sepia-toned allusions to Victorian nudes, these rich and varied images celebrate the iconography of the male throughout history.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A stunning collection of homoerotic images by a former student of Andreas H. Bitesnich that celebrates the iconography of the male throughout history. Photographic themes are inspired by such diverse sources as mythology, renaissance and baroque painting and early photography.

About the Author

Anthony Gayton studied photography in England before becoming an assistant to acclaimed photographer Andreas H. Bitesnich. Although his inspiration is derived from multiple sources and his style is diverse, his singular focus during the past several years has been on male beauty. He lives in Vienna.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 170 pages
• Publisher: Te Neues Publishing Company (July 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3832790438
• ISBN-13: 978-3832790431
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,418,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK for what it is, but has been done better., December 5, 2005

By 

Raymond A. Saxe-windsor (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sinners & Saints (Hardcover)

I was initially disappointed to see that the photographs were all by one photographer, when I was under the impression it was a catalog of Sinner and Saint images throughout history. I was further disappointed to find the book is actually short than it appears as 1/3 of it is the english text re-printed in German, French and Italian. And then lastly I was disappointed because the images by the artist, while striking, were sometimes as small as 1/4 page and I think have been done much better by artists such as Pierre & Gilles. I returned this book.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Frozen in Time, December 20, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sinners & Saints (Hardcover)

The premise behind Anthony Gayton's color saturated photographs of men is an interesting one: capture the long history of depiction of male erotica from mythology, Renaissance and Baroque painting, Victoriana sepia tones, and physique photography from the early Hollywood influenced era. Such a survey in and of itself is an interesting bit of scholarship made visual and for that the book is fine.

The problem with these photographs is that they appear so staged, so artificially posed from reference materials that there is little life to the images. Now granted, that may be the intention here, to 're-create' images and tales from the past in the way the art festivals (think Laguna Beach Art Festival!) create frozen paintings by transforming props and sets and touched by paint people to astonish the viewers. But just at the moment these images could become sensual they rely heavily on quotation and the history of it all gets in the way.

The photographic techniques are sound and the color is splendid. And of course the models are spectacular. For the collector of male photography this would be an added diversion, much along the lines of Pierre & Gilles, and that is not a bad comparison! Grady Harp, December 05

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library 20th Century Photography collections, August 14, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sinners & Saints (Hardcover)

Sinners & Saints is a compendium of homeo-erotic images in which photographer Anthony Gayton pays homage to the iconography of the male in the tradition of pictorialist photography. From romanticized mythic imagery, to Victorian style nudes, to stylized contemporary pin-ups, the visual theme of eternal masculine beauty and desire is provided from beginning to end without textual interruption. Enhanced with a bi-lingual essay on "Youth, Beauty And Desire: The Photographic Work of Anthony Gayton" by Peter Weiermair, Sinners & Saints is an impressive body of work and a recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library 20th Century Photography collections.