Dear List,
While on the topic of nudes and figure studies and whether or not they
are pornography or just stereotypical, I must refer to the gallery URL that
was posted two weeks ago. I viewed every link and liked the Cyanotypes and
many other works very much.
I also saw so SO MANY "GENERIC" figure studies of men that it was rather
disappointing. By generic I mean that the photographers had simply taken
cheese cake poses which I first saw in the 50s as a child or in the 70s as a
fashion photographer and put men in the place of women, It was shown at a
West Side New York Gallery so it must be art...right? I mean, seriously,
the beefy boy sitting backwards, naked in the saddle, while beautifully lit,
looks EXACTLY like a pin-up I saw in 1955 on my older brother's wall except
then it was a "Cow Girl". There were also a number of very young men
stripped to the waist looking at the camera with the "Come hither" look.
Exact steal from what most of the young male photo assistants were asking
their female models to do in the 70s in hopes of going beyond photography..
Yes, yes, yes...I know it falls under the politically correct umbrella
of "Exploring male eroticism"...well Explore it already but to make cookie
cutter images formerly occupied by women, I think, is reinforcing yet
another stereotype and, perhaps, just as demeaning to men, regardless of
their sexual preference, as we now acknowledge it is to women.
Well, here goes...
CHEERS!
BOB KISS
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