Customer Reviews

Sombra

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

 

 

i saw this book in a store and fell in love with the subtle beauty of these photographs. being a photographer myself, i loved seeing the antique printing processes Mr. Afanador used creating images that seem to be made 100 years ago, but with a modern edge. Sombra, means "shadow", and i love his play with that, making dark, shadowy images. i love dancer bodies and this book is an homage to the grace and line of them. i also enjoyed seeing male nude photography of thinner, and in a way more feminine men, which is a wonderful contrast to his other book, Torero, which i went on a mad chase and finally found one that i could afford. those photographs are much different, more traditional and masculine, but still with a feminine touch, but i think they are both wonderful companions to one another. Mr. Afanador is a master at what he does, especially in showcasing the androginy of the male form, in both books. so if you are a fan of male beauty, in all its shapes, this is an excellent edition to your collection.

After his first book of photos, Torero, this one is a real letdown. Compared to the natural drama of those earlier photos, the present group seem contrived and merely melodramatic. And instead of the super-real textures--textures that you wanted to reach out and touch--he has tried some new printing or over-painting techniques that are not very effective--almost every photo and/or model is solarized or daubed or spatter-painted or metallicized or whatever. And the poses and subjects are repetitive and uninspired. I guess that an artist can't follow the same path for his entire career, but this seems more like a backward step than an advance.

whispy and poetic and just as the title says Sombra--shadows. for the collector of this artists work it is a must have.