Sombra (Hardcover)

~ Ruven Afanador (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Merrell; illustrated edition edition (May 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858942497
• ISBN-13: 978-1858942490
• Product Dimensions: 14.7 x 11.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #312,886 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of my favorites, sensitive and introspective, February 22, 2005

By	A. Jacobus (Fort Worth, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars pretty disappointing, June 15, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

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.