Customer Reviews

Naked Men: Pioneering Male Nudes

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David Leddick, who has given us many books on the naked male, had a brilliant idea for this one: he would put together a book of photographs of nude models from 1935 to 1955 and include recent photographs of the men as close to the time of publication of this book (1997) as possible. The result is a stunning success. There is a foreward by Quentin Crisp, a male model, himself, for art classes in England in the 1930's (THE NAKED CIVIL SERVANT) and a long, sometimes wordy introduction by Mr. Leddick. Of more interest, at least to me, is the biographical information about each of the models, their occupations, whether they married or not, what they are doing now and if they are alive--most of them were at the time Mr. Leddick began his research.

Many of the photographs are by George Platt Lynes, who apparently never took a bad picture and to whom every subsequent photographer of the nude male owes a tremendous debt. No photographer since Lynes has lit the human body with such skill and beauty.

There are unknown models here but some big names as well: Tennessee Williams, the very straight but most unshy Yul Brynner, Donald Windham, Christopher Isherwood, the famous artist Paul Cadmus, the photographer Horst as well as George Platt Lynes, himself.

Two of my favorite photographs: that of Umberto Visbal, a darkroom and studio assistant for Lynes in the early 1950's-- outrageously sexual (p. 127), and Carlos McLendon (p. 87) shot in September 1947; here we have a photograph beautifully composed and printed with many shades of gray.

My favorite quote from the written material: Bill Harris (pp. 94-95) saying that he never frequented a bathhouse again after hearing someone say: "See that little old Chinese woman over there? That used to be the handsomest man in New York." The writer Camus may have been correct when he said that after the age of 40, we are all responsible for our own faces. He could have included our bodies as well.

When David Leddick first published NAKED MEN: PIONEERING MALE NUDES 1935 - 1955 in the year 1997, many readers voiced the opinion that other photographers' books admiring the beauty of the masculine physique were far superior, more provocative, more erotic, and so forth. What is becoming more evident now six years later is just how sensitive Leddick's writing is and how insightful this study remains. His premise - to address artists who either photographed, painted or drew the male nude in a period of time when the male nude as subject was verboten - reveals a brave period of history in gender studies. Leddick shares many images of young men and pairs those images with current (at the time of his writing) views of those pictured models. This could be a gimick if it stopped there, but Leddick has the sensitivity to focus on truly significant artists, allowing us insights not avialable elsewhere in the literature. A long portion is devoted, naturally, to George Platt Lynes who more than most photographers devoted his camera to captruing the 'compleat' persona of artists such as Jared French, Christopher Isherwood, Yul Brynner and well established studio models. What he shows us are the photographs taken from 1935 - 1955 and then shares photographs of those models today. He also visits Lincoln Kirsten, Paul Cadmus, Lew Christensen, and Tennessee Williams and has many interesting anecdotes which he shares in well written prose. This is not a book of homoerotica (though the models both young and old are beautifully captured). This is a vital volume of history that makes as interesting a treat for the mind as it does for the eye. Especially recommended for the collector who has Leddick's later books - this preludes the spectrum of what is to come.

This book is not for those searching out eye-candy. While the pictures are beautifully photographed examples of the male body, it is not a pornographic work. It is a study of the attitudes and intentions behind the models and photographers on display. It is about the movement they inspired that has gotten terribly out of control with the various perversions of extremist pornographers that tout the word 'art' as if it could be applied to ever speck of waste upon every piece of toilet paper. This work does not agree with such a mentality. The pictures are tasteful and sincere. It is for those interested in art history, not a quick thrill.

David Leddick's "Naked Men" is a most unusual collection of nude photography. Leddick's expressed intent is to chronicle the early history of photographing unclothed men, and he sets about it in two divergent ways. The narrative centers around the photographer George Platt Lynes (1907-1955), the creator of many of the photographs reproduced in the volume, and his circle of like-minded friends in early twentieth-century New York, including the artist Paul Cadmus (still living), and the recently deceased arts impresario Lincoln Kirstein.

Although the pictures of course hold a strong homoerotic appeal and many of the subjects were romantically and physically entwined with their photographers and each other, the book is not a gay history. In fact, there is not enough history included in the text, which is framed by large expanses of blank page and ceases for much of the book. The inclusion of brief histories and present-day, or at least more recent, photographs of the models is Leddick's second main innovation, and is indeed effective--the juxtaposition of the men in their youthful beauty and their serene, still handsome older selves offers surprising, often moving revelations to the viewer and reader. Yet here again, one wishes that more of them were allowed to speak for themselves. The photographs included are large and beautifully reproduced (a eye-popping highlight is one of a very young Yul Brynner), but it is downright churlish to offer a smoldering picture of a half-undressed Jack Fontan, state that it is "one of a series of photos in which the subject performs... a striptease until he is fully unclothed," and then not show any more! In short, this is a book that, overall, has an effect exactly like many of its photographs--it tantalizes, but in the end leaves one a bit unsatisfied.

This book is the early Playgirl magazine, but better. Oh what form, style, and very tasteful. The book contains male models, modeling nude in the mid 1930's through the 1950's. Those were the times where posing nude was unacceptable. The book also tells the stories of the model's lives, then and now.

Leddick gives here a competant history of the male nude in its middle-early stages along with examples. The focus is primarily on George Platt Lynnes and his circle, which is appropriate for the timeperiod Leddick is dealing with.

David Leddick's idea was to collect American photographs, paintings and drawings of male bodies from the 1930's to the 1950's....a period when male nudity was certainly not as prevalent as it is now....tell a bit of a story of the artwork's history and then show us a more current photograph of the models, many of whom are living...looking happy,handsome and still sexy. (Not, as far as I could tell, "ravaged" as another reader has written.)

This is a stunning book of wonderful artworks, many of which are uncollected elsewhere. The photographs are mostly by the great George Platt Lynes, a photographer whose use of lighting and subject matter were not only dramatic but also, at times, shocking and certainly historically innovative. Here is an artist whose life and work were cut short by cancer but who is now, finally, decades after his death, finding the fame that he deserved when he lived.

Some of the models in the book are artists themselves: Paul Cadmus, George Tooker, Horst, etc. There are also photos of Tennessee Williams, Jean Marais and Yul Brynner. One shocking photograph is of W. Somerset Maugham, a man who throughout his entire life was "closeted," but for whatever reason allowed Lynes to photograph him admiring a naked man.

In the author's words, these men "paved the way for male sexual liberation"....by "shattering taboos." He definitely makes his point. I only wish there were more works of art in the book and that the description and stories of the models' lives after the photographs were more lengthy and detailed.

If you appreciate male nude photography and history you can't help but love this book. It's a reminder me that these beautiful men were the one's who were the Davids of their day.I love the juxtaposition of the beauty of then and the beauty of now. Makes me look at people older than me in a new way. The beauty we lose and the beauty we keep. Very nostalgic! Plus Yul Brenner naked is a wonderful thing!

Joani

I have enjoyed David Leddick's photo books in the past and thought that this would be a nice addition to my collection. While I am glad that I own the book for its historical significance and the chance to learn a bit more about some of the models I have seen in the past, the book left me wanting more. There are not enough photos and not enough info on these or other models. For a person interested in completing a collection of male nude photos this book is useful. For the casual collector and admirer the price is too dear and the content too slight.

This book is fascinating if macabre. Seeing these one-time beauties, after age has ravaged them for forty years, is a humbling experience. However, do not confuse this author's writing with scholarship. I counted over 25 factual errors in the first 10 pages of his essay. Also, the selection of photographs is often poor. Better nude images exist for many of the models featured in this book.