The Romantic Male Nude
by James Spada
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Book Summary Information
Author: James SpadaIntroduction: Michael Thomas Ford
Edition: Hardcover
Published: 2007-09-01
ISBN: 0810993716
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Abrams Books
Book Reviews of The Romantic Male Nude
Book Review: Beautiful photography of beautiful men
Summary: 4 Stars
The Romantic Male Nude is pretty much what the name implies, with about 200 photographs from 41 different photographers of men in various poses. Other than the brief forwards at the beginning of the book and the photographer credits at the end, there is little other writing, and the book stands purely on the beautiful images contained within.
The photos are broken into several main categories - 'youthful yearning', 'romantic men', 'al fresco', etc, although the editors have done a great job in putting together a collection that remains consistent throughout. The photos explore the romanticized male form, and so rather than capturing the erotic, the men are mostly posed in a fashion that shows off their bodies without delving into the tacky. There is a quiet innocence to these men, with a slight air of sadness about them, and the overall mood of the collection is much more powerful that similar books.
The subjects tend to be well-built and muscular, and I'd guess most of them are in the 22-30 age group. This is a nice departure from the overly-thin twinks that are often photographed in books like this. If I had to put these guys into a category, I'd say they could live in the Abercrombie & Fitch universe, but they'd probably hang out with a smarter and less annoying crowd than the dumb boys in the advertisements.
Because this collection runs to the artistic more than the erotic, the photos tend to emphasize muscles and builds in poses similar to Michelangelo's 'David', and the allure of 200 hundred 'Davids' assembled together is powerful. The pictures are about 70% black and white and 30% color, and the large format of the book is nice since most photos are 8x6 or 8x8, with a few larger spreads.
The collection does not shy away from full-frontal nudity either, which sets it apart. Around half the photos capture the full frontal male form, although being about romance more than sex, only one or two images portray men in an aroused state. About 80% of the photos are of single subjects, with the remaining being of two men together. Of those, most portray the men hugging or embracing, and most duo shots do not show full frontal nudity.
Overall, this is a beautiful collection of sexy men. It's not designed to be eroticism, but it is arousing. For those who enjoy artistic nudes and the romanticized ideal male form, this is a great addition to any collection.
Summary of The Romantic Male Nude
What makes a male nude romantic, as opposed to merely erotic? The more obvious attributes might be soft focus, soft lighting, silk bedding, sylvan settings, roses, lace curtains, moonlight. Perhaps it is the look of a model, or the expression on his face; maybe it is the warmth of the embrace between two lovers, or the longing in a young man?s eyes.Each of the images in this book, the first anthology to bring together a group of celebrated photographers to thematically celebrate romance in the male nude, stirs the imagination to create a story around it?a story of youthful yearning or an idyllic day, a story about the blossoming love between two men, or even about the rapport between a photographer and his model.
The photographers represented here?among them Reed Massengill, Kobi Israel, Tom Bianchi, Ed Freeman, David Vance, and Michael Childers?live and work in places as disparate as Israel, Guatemala, England, Cuba, Brazil, France, Hong Kong, Greece, Sweden, and Germany, in addition to the United States. Their diversity proves that romanticism flourishes everywhere in the world.
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