Re: PANDORA OR CAN OF WORMS?

From: Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Date: Sat Dec 11 1999 - 04:05:46 /etc/localtime


On Fri, 10 Dec 1999, Bob Kiss wrote:

> As long as the same consideration/acceptance/ license or criticism and
> castigation is applied to all artists and their work equally regardless of
> their sexual preference. It is when figure studies of women and the
> photographers who make them are criticized and very stereotypical
> beefcake/cheesecake photos of men are protected from comment by "political
> correctness" that I say that the "Emperor, indeed, has no clothes!"
                                                     
 Bob, in all fairness the *mainstream* of photography has been clotted
with eroticized naked ladies -- from Steigelitz to Weston to Friedlander
to Ruth Bernhard to whomever. The naked men are USUALLY off in a
so-to-speak *niche* milieu -- like the backroom of Wessel O'Connor. And
these are, by common consent and opinion, tainted, almost to the point of
being kitsch.

They are NOT accepted as a "neutral art convention." And do no harm to the
lives of modern straight, professional or "career" men, or their cultural
image, opportunities, and ambitions.The eroticized stereotype of women is
pervasive, MAINSTREAM, an entire genre, and until recently, at any rate,
"respectable."

I think the point that homoerotic shots of men are as often hokey,
stereotyped and cornball is well taken -- but we don't find those
photographs prancing around as a neutral art convention in the mainstream
of, for instance, alt, as I have seen on a surprisingly large percentage
of web "galleries" I've been to.... not to cite sites... (Like all 4 of
them !). I mean, YUCK !

And you can phone me collect the next time a "historical processes manual"
aimed at the world photo and academic community has a homoerotic MAN on
the cover !!

John Dugdale's male nudes are, by the way, USUALLY fine, poetic, creative,
strongly individuated portraits of men, alone or in groups. The homoerotic
content is plain, but subsumed... they are *portraits.* He also does naked
women as PEOPLE, and some of his most interesting are his own family,
sister and brother together, friends of mixed genders & sexuality. Etc. He
didn't know which were on the web site, and, judging by the back room at
Wessell O'connor, probably the "worst."

Judy

.................................................................
| Judy Seigel, Editor >
| World Journal of Post-Factory Photography > "HOW-TO and WHY"
| info@post-factory.org >
| <http://rmp.opusis.com/postfactory/postfactory.html>
.................................................................



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jan 11 2000 - 12:10:48