Fine Art Sex [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

I just got Fine Art Sex, and maybe it will grow on me, but my initial reaction is that this is not Tom Bianchi's finest work...not by a long shot.

I'm a fan of Bianchi. I love that his erotic photography is so unscripted, that he just lets his models enjoy themselves on camera. It's so much sexier when the handsome male subjects are having actual fun, rather than standing stiffly around with blank sneers. I recognize what Bianchi has done for the field of gay photography and gay culture in general. That said, Fine Art Sex feels a tad too experimental and more than a tad pretentious.

There's certainly no shortage of beautiful men on display, beginning with the cover model, who stands bathed in sensual lighting as water laps at his thighs. Nice tease! However, the book begins with a lot of words rather than images as Bianchi describes his moods, his style, his philosophies, his background, and how the "beauty of this reality stops time in my mind." Weird...he's starting to sound like he should be wearing a beret and a black turtleneck. I've always gotten the sense that his art defies "artness," that its power and eroticism likes in its up-close, personal portrayal of its models, without any murky "symbolism" or "technique." Surely it needs no analysis. And the first batches of photos in the book are kind of uninspired. The biggest misfire is a series of screenshots taken via iPhone and Skype. Look, I'm aware that the digital world is a huge factor in modern-day erotica, especially for budding amateurs. But Bianchi is no amateur, and when I buy a book of his, I would prefer to see quality photography, not grainy, blurry, oversaturated screencaps. I don't think a book entitled "Fine Art Sex" is a place for experimenting or being ironic.

Luckily, the second half of the book sizzles as Bianchi dives into some extremely streamy underwater photography, followed by more of his trademark bedroom frolicking. I love underwater nudes and these do not disappoint. I also enjoy it when he shows us love amidst the sexual hijinks; my favorite photo in the book shows two men ("Dale and Bill"), one with an intricate tattoo, embracing in the nude. So gentle, such an undercurrent of desire, and Dale's posterior is worthy of Michelangelo with a big block of marble. That's the Bianchi I know! But even then, too many of the photos seem to be more about the technique than the men. We don't see their faces often enough; Bianchi seems to be practicing the same objectification he claims to avoid.

Some accuse Bianchi of self-indulgence. I hate to say it, but this book made me think they might be right. He describes his dream world of free-to-be gay men, and it's turning out to be a hyper-exclusive world, reserved for the beautiful...and, possibly, the easy lay. More and more, Bianchi inserts himself into his own compositions. His body, all vein and sinew, is good-looking for its age, but appears out of place next to the bronze smoothness of his models. If I were petty, I might accuse him of using his reputation as an excuse to romp about with younger men. I might also point out that rhapsodizing about one's true love sounds hypocritical when one often photographs oneself entangled in naked foursomes. It's quite possible I'm wrong about all this, but people will make these accusations, and Bianchi does not seem inclined to -- or capable of -- denying them.

So, in the end, Fine Art Nudes is a book with some satisfying photography and a lot of disappointing fiddling about. I have no problem with Bianchi experimenting, but to do so in a book that promises his usual straightforward, delightful erotica is to do his fans a disservice. I pray what he's really photographing is not his own ego.

Tom Bianchi is different form most photographers. While his many monographs of photography of the nude male have become best sellers it is not so much because of his studio techniques: in his early works, including his brilliant charcoal drawings, he proved that he can be a master of composition and formal symmetry. His latest books, especially in this book FINA ART SEX he dispenses with photo sessions with hired models and instead explores the myriad aspects of physicality of the human body in peak form enjoying the pleasures of touch, embrace, and passion. Yet his images, though raw in concept, maintain a sense of beauty, of freedom of exploration of desire, and a complete survey of the moment of desire to the completion of that response. The balance between intimacy, warrior like energy, and explosive forces of nature released make these private moments captured here on the richly colored pages of this book unique works of art.

Bianchi writes and always finds a way to enter information about where he has been and where his current state of expression in his work has brought him. There is a beautiful tribute to his lover not only in words but also in accompanying photographs. And he extends that degree of comfort to all of his subjects: 'I tell the men I shoot that I will look at them with the eyes of a man who is their lover.' He adds words to the sections of his book: Seeing/Being, Found Art, Time, Art Sex ('an intellectual response to what I celebrate is appreciated. A visceral response elevates the compliment'), Friend/Lovers, Resonate, Game On...these are but a few of the words that accompany his images that are produced by underwater photography as well as in his home photography. Very often the focal point is on the trunk alone, with men expressing their desire and completion with seeming complete relaxation.

If Bianchi places himself in the photographs, both in the mirror reflections with his camera or in shots that are looking down or up at his own participation, many viewers will feel this is self-indulgent, as though we must see the artist acting out the action he elects to photograph. But peruse this book repeatedly and likely the fact that the artist partakes in the action drives home the mission of his art. He explains the personal aspects of his view of art in words: he underlines those aspects with including his own body in the action. After all, this is the trademark of a very successful artist, an aspect that makes his concept of Fine Art Sex apparent. Remarkably uninhibited Bianchi! Grady Harp, June 11

Hi guys.

Quite nice photos, but Tom Bianchi seems to need to be in many of the pics.....cool, but he is aging. Seems like a last ditched effort to see himself as one with his models....good luck to him....but the fact is, we are looking for younger masculine guys, or at least a mixture of older...not just Tom, himself. All good but a bit self indulgent. Can ruin a good fantasy.

T