Customer Reviews

Timeless

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are 82 pictures in the book (and an additional 2 pictures on the cover).

Of those 82 pictures 13 of them show full frontal nudity. In most pictures, however, the model covers his genitals with his hand.

The models look good for the most part. Their age seems to be in the late twenties. They are well-worked with a lot of muscles. Whether that is beautiful or not, depends on the reader. In my opinion there are only few beautiful models in the book.

If you prefer to look at naked males, who cover up their genitals then this book would be right for you. If you prefer to see it all in nude pictures then do not buy this book!

David Vance's TIMELESS is quite a mixed bag. On the one hand, the book's quality is astonishing. The pages are beautiful and crisp; the quality of the black-and-white photo-transfer is beyond words.

Yet the images are exceedingly uninspired and become, after a while, quite repetitive. In my opinion, the cover photograph is the best; kudos to the publishers for placing it on the dust-jacket.

The men captured by Vance in these photos are indeed beautiful; almost all are fully- or semi-naked: the poses (as well as facial expressions), however, do not tend to range, and soon become tedious to look at.

Nothing special or overwhelming in terms of Vance's artistic vision (some of the images are actually rather kitschy); but a nice coffee-table book nonetheless.

The quality of the photos and the actual pictures are pretty good, BUT I would have to say that if your looking for erotic photos, you won't see many in here.

The book is nice, the pics that are in it are good, but it's a PG-13 photo book basically.

I have always been a huge fan of Mr. Vance, so I have waited for this new book anxiously...I am not disappointed...It is genius from cover to cover...the photographer captures these stunning men like no other...

The earlier reviewer,was mistaken, I think, in his middling review...to call any of these images kitsch, is either misguided or just plain cruel...

Mr. Vance is a master. He has honed his craft through many heart-stoppingly beautiful books...the field of B&W photography (of nude men) is most often an overgorged mess...to the list of the BRILLIANT; Duane Michaels, G.P.Lynes,J.P.Witkin,Ken Haak,Rick Castro, Bruce Weber, F. Rousseau, Mr. Vance would be no stranger.

It is very hard for an artist to find a vision, and then to carry it out as magically as David Vance...he makes it look effortless, but we all know there is more to it than pointing a camera at a handsome man and clicking...

I applaud him for this ravishing book...it mixes our passion for fine art, with our heavenly, marvelous, lusty desires for male beauty...you really must buy it, and see each image personally...it is very,very potent...BEAU

David Vance has produced a fine book of black and white photography of the male nude, the black and white format emphasizing his recreation of timeless attitudes and poses of athletic young men. The Kouros of Greek origin were statues of young athletes usually placed in courtyards or public spaces to either celebrate the glory of the male physique of prominent athletes, or to engender fertility!

At first glance the poses in which Vance captures his models may seem theatrical to the extreme, but given the concept of the volume - that the male physique at its peak form has been a model of excellence since time began - the poses soon capture the imagination and the possible sculptural ideas begin to leap of the page.

These models are beautifully muscled and developed athletes whose forms in the natural state before the camera vie for the best in the sculptures of the great artists of the past and present. Erotic, yes. Pushed to the extremes of definition, yes. Prettified at times, yes. But it all works. Vance has a keen eye for the juxtaposition of hard flesh with soft drape and soft light and his photographs are for the most part timeless in nature. A fine exhibition, this, and one that deserves attention as much as his famous celebrity photography ventures. Grady Harp, October 06

The male nude, as interpreted by the photographs of David Vance, is the single topic of this beautifully produced book of technically perfect photographs of incredible young men. David Vance approaches the nude male form in several ways. There are photographs that are very balanced, with a focus on the geometry of the male body. These reminded me of some of the work of Robert Mapplethorpe. These images are sculptural and emphasize the symmetry of the male body. Another theme that Vance follows is that of the athletic male body in motion. Many of the models appear to be gymnasts or dancers and their grace and movement is often captured in the photographs. The use of candid, relaxed, un-self conscious photography is not really present here and is not Vance's intention. In every photograph the beautiful young man knew he was being photographed, knew exactly when the photograph was taken, and had some conscious notion of how he was projecting toward the camera. Vance's photographic philosophy may be contrasted to that of Bruce Weber and Duane Michaels. The informal candid photograph of the model is a strength of Bruce Weber's photography for he often shoots his models when they are unaware which gives a different sense to the intention of the photograph. Weber may photograph a model dressing or undressing before the photo session actually starts. In Vance's photographic world, the models don't seem to have a past or future or private life but rather are captured in the photo session like a rare beautiful insect or flower. Duane Michaels is another photographer of the male nude with whom Vance may be compared. Michaels uses a narrative format so that the photograph tells a story and the photographs together weave a pictorial narrative. Vance does not approach the male nude with the informality of Weber or the narrative style of Michaels. He seems to focus on the structure of the male, the way in which the parts come together to form a solid almost architectural whole, to make maximum use of texture and contrasting light and dark, to convey the physicality of the male body. This sensibility relates very much to aesthetic sensibility of Greek antiquity where the beautiful young male is a frequent subject of artistic expression. The photography here is flawless and technically superb; the men are some of the most handsome men photographed nude that I have ever seen. The control and eye of the photographer are present in every photograph and none of the photographs seem to be spontaneous or accidental.

The concept behind the book is well-imagined. The photos do, at times, live up to the idea that inspires them -- athletes from Greek and Roman times, carved into marble for all eternity. Unfortunately, this collection of photographs won't perhaps stand the test of time, but some are stunning and other make you blush. With that, it makes a fantastic coffee table book that is sure to catch the eyes of all and definitely a few giggles. ;)

The photography is exquisite in Timeless. The book features well proportioned males that are masculine without crossing the line to overly "muscle bound" or overtly "pornographic". I must admit that there are a couple of shots that are a bit on the "campy" side but these are far outnumbered by page after page of beautiful photographs that cannot help but to celbrate the art of the male nude. The book was a good value.

There are innumerable books containing the photographs of nude women. Much less common is a book of nude males. David Vance is a portrait photographer of reknown and in this book he presents what might be considered a study of the male form.

These are not photographs of ordinary average men, but of athletes at the peak of their form. Here are pictures that remind you of Michelangelo's David. Here is the perfect physique, molded to perfection and photographed in black and white. Careful posing, supurb lighting combined with very high quality printing (in Italy) on high grade paper creates a tone rarely found in publications.

This is a supurb art book. It is far above the common erotic photographs in every way you can imagine. This is not to say that the photographs aren't erotic, they are, as is any nude picture.

Seeing these pictures of perfect men, I am reminded of the complaints women have made about the pictures of nude women not being realistic. These men have bodies to which almost all of us can only aspire.

This book is simply amazing. These photographs by David Vance elevate the male nude to an art form far beyond the stable of male erotic photographers out there. I felt as though I was looking at paintings with each photo beautifully kissed with light and texture. The book has an acceptional printing quality to enhance the viewing. If you aren't transfixed by these images, check your pulse!

Gary Wolfe