Naked Men

interesting. i was reading another book by the same author and looked this one up, as it was available i figured it would round out the reading on the principles and the time period.

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. Grady Harp, September 10

David Leddick respects, and thus, humanizes, the subjects in his remarkable book. It is hard to imagine a time in which male nudity was considered distasteful, and only a handful of brave models and artists stood up to the staid mores of their day. I like the manner in which the author tells the reader what each model is doing today, with a current (if possible) photo.

Brilliant, brilliant book. This opened my eyes to a whole new way of looking at male beauty. The book respects its models, featuring ravishing models then and now. NAKED MEN is instrumental in helping to shape my oeuvre as a photographer. It took brave photographers to bring male beauty to the foreground. Love the elegance of the pages....with some surprising nudes.....like Horst and Yul Brynner.