As I See It (Hardcover)

~ (Photographer), John Hurt (Afterword), Elton John (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Internationally acclaimed photographer Greg Gorman has just completed his most personal work to date: the male figure study. Twenty years in the making, this epic artist's project features carefully selected young men--not big or overly built--who exemplify for Gorman a perfected state, allowing him to frame grace, beauty, and elegance in the form of the male nude. Included amongst the 240-plus portraits are many of Gorman's friends and acquaintances, as well as professional models, many of whom had never posed nude before. The cumulative effect of As I See It creates a pleasurable zone of contemplation, allowing one to reexamine the precepts of beauty within a refreshing framework of exalted maleness. According to Gorman, "As I see it, they're not really boys, yet they're not really men. They are caught somewhere in between--almost at that point of maturity that defines masculinity."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: powerHouse Books (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576870863
• ISBN-13: 978-1576870877
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #426,407 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Achievement........, November 14, 2000

By	Joseph J. Hanssen "Joe" (Upstate New York) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Word's can't describe this beautiful new male nude-photography book from Greg Gorman. The photos in this book are so beautifully reproduced, I don't think I have ever seen better. The book binding itself from the brown cloth cover to the beautiful sepia tone black & white photos is perfect. The images of these models (Gorman's friends, acquaintances, and professional models) are so sensual and so clear because of Gorman's talented use of light and shadows. These hot men are handsome and good-looking. There are over 240 photos in this collection, a great achievement that was 20 years in the making by this photographer. These young men are not big and overly built, but very natural looking young men. As Gorman says, "They are not really boys, yet they're not really men, either.

Anyone who appreciates male beauty, great photography, or both should own this beautiful collection. I have reviewed and collected many male nude photography books, but I was more than impressed with this book. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. It's a must for the collector of male figure study books.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In The Eyes of the Beholder, January 23, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a beautifully produced book. I thought the price was somewhat steep, until I received the book. The construction is first-rate, the paper is heavy and rich in texture. I've paid much more for much less.

I must disagree with the previous reviewer: these are NOT ordinary young men you'd just pass on the street. All of these are head-turners in their way. Some have an androgynous beauty peculiar to developing men, so much so that it's a shock to see a set of male genitalia a little below!

Perhaps we've gotten so accustomed to seeing the pumped-up physique that these photographs are an anti-cliche. The nude men in this book fit the 'swimmer' build that so many find erotic: very slim, narrow in torso and hips. Almost every model in the book has large genitalia, accentuated of course by the small body builds. There are a few celebrity photos: Chris Atkins, still looking buff in his middle age. More particularly, Alexis Arquette, whose sexual endowment has been noted in his movies.

Fortunately, Gorman has not forgotten the subject and purpose of his photographs. The nude men here are the stars, little distracted by manipulation of backgrounds or techniques. Once again, his models are the stars here.

This is a highly erotic book for those attracted to young male beauty, and an excellent buy besides.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEAUTIFUL IMAGES, April 22, 2001

By	MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Thanks to the Amazon.com reviews already written for Greg Gorman's book, I bought it online and couldn't be happier. Gorman is a contemporary photographer obviously enamored of his subjects. The care and dignity he bestoys on all his models in this book is exemplary.

A previous collection, published by Rizzoli, is called "Inside Life" and consists mainly of portraits of celebrities from Brando to Sarandon, from Quincy Jones to Leonardo Di Caprio before he was LEONARD DI CAPRIO-from a cross-dressing Sharon Stone to a nude Keanu Reeves. But these are much more than publicity pictures one might see in a magazine like "Vanity Fair;" they really bear repeated viewings: has any of us seen Sugar Ray Leonard looking so troubled?; How clever to let us watch Savion Glover resting his feet, rather than tapping; How witty to show us gay porn icon, Jeff Stryker, as he might have looked in an MGM 1940's studio shot.

As beautifully put together as the above volume is, Gorman's "As I See It" is even better. Powerhouse Books has given Gorman the publication he deserves. This is a magnificently designed and executed collection of classic male nudes, most of whom are posed in neutral surroundings, so that our eyes go to the male form and how this photographer wants us to see it.

Included is a reproduction of a charming, hand-written note to Gorman from his fan (and sometimes model) Elton John. A wonderful book of beautiful images. Highly recommended.