Product Description

Internationally acclaimed photographer Greg Gorman has just completed his most personal work to date: the male figure study. Twenty years in the making, this epic artist's project features carefully selected young men--not big or overly built--who exemplify for Gorman a perfected state, allowing him to frame grace, beauty, and elegance in the form of the male nude. Included amongst the 240-plus portraits are many of Gorman's friends and acquaintances, as well as professional models, many of whom had never posed nude before. The cumulative effect of As I See It creates a pleasurable zone of contemplation, allowing one to reexamine the precepts of beauty within a refreshing framework of exalted maleness. According to Gorman, "As I see it, they're not really boys, yet they're not really men. They are caught somewhere in between--almost at that point of maturity that defines masculinity."

Product Details

• Published on: 2000-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

Ultimately, it all depends on what style of photography you like
I own two Greg Gorman books, Inside Life and Perspectives both of which feature his celebrity portraits. They are wonderful collections and his photos of Keanu Reeves and Stephen Dorff remain among the most iconic and appealing ever shot of those two actors. Truth be told however, I've always found Gorman's nude work on the dull side and much of this comes down to simple stylistic preference. To generalize, there are two major styles of physique photography, the naturalism of photographers like Nan Goldin, Larry Clark and Bruce Weber that follows in the path of Wilhelm Von Gloeden (1856-1931) and on the other hand the stylized, studio-bound artifice of people like Greg Gorman, Robert Mapplethorpe (even his rougher work) and Herb Ritts that has its origins more in the physique mags of the 1950's. As I See It falls squarely into the latter of these styles.

Where the naturalistic photographers are happy to explore real interiors and airy outdoor locations (preferably with people engaged in recognizable activities) people like Gorman are interested in re-creating a particular stylized ideal with studio lighting and studio poses. The models in this world don't sweat, break out or laugh...just pose. All that's missing are (to borrow a phrase I once read) beach balls and hula hoops. Compare this style to Bruce Webers. While his advertising campaign for Abercrombie and Fitch may be monotonous, his book collections are funny, sexy and memorable. I can call to mind individual photos from his last book Branded Youth whether the amusing wrestling camp series or the photo of the little birds clawing into the white shoulders of the boy with braces.

As I See It is a world of Tadzio-like models held at arms length by a photographer who is best when exploring what is unique about each of his subjects rather than making them all look interchangeable.

As Seen By Me
The photos of nude men are beutifully captured in sepia tones. There is nothing provocative or crude. It's just men posing in the buff. There are a few photos of Christopher Atkins and Josh Duhamel. The book is just beautifully put together.

AS I SEE IT
ONE OF THE MOST EXCEPTIONAL BOOKS OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE WORLD>
MR. GORMAN AT HIS BEST!