Well over two thousand years ago, the muscular bodies of young athletes inspired generations of artists from Athens to Rome. During the Renaissance, the male body was again a source of inspiration for artists and their patrons. As a photographer, I love the play of light and shadows on a beautiful body. Stripped of all clothing, a man’s beauty is pure and innocent, bare of all the usual symbols of money and power.
What interests me as well are the reactions of people who see my work. Many who are more than comfortable with images of nude women, are uncomfortable when confronted by images of naked men. To them, the images of men are not just objects of beauty, line and form, but are also highly sexual and therefore provocative. I’m fascinated by this paradox. For me, the men in these photographs are idealized forms of the human body. They represent youth, vitality, virility and power.
