Arnold has created a distinctive collection of male nude photography. It's a simple format: usually one black and white photo per page, one model per photo, and a blank background. There is nothing here but the male figure, presented in a sculptural, or even architectural style.
The models are split between lighter and darker skin tones. Although it's the same male frame underneath, light plays differently on that superficial difference, something that Arnold has captured skillfully. Other than their coloring, though, the models tend towards a common look: twenty-something, body-builders' figures, and sleek surfaces. Somehow, more mature figures and even moderate body hair seem hard to render with elegance, so Arnold hasn't tried. That smoothness works well in many of the more abstract compositions, however, inviting comparisons between sculpture in marble, metal, and male substance. It also invites comparison to the female figure - even when a photographer emphasizes the corresponding strength and grace in women, the result is very different.
Arnold addresses only a narrow and unusual range of men's appearances. Within that range, he succeeds in showing the strength and beauty of the human male animal, and I find myself surprised at having to use the word "beauty" in describing these figure studies. I don't often have much response to a man's appearance; when I do, I rarely go beyond the word "handsome." Ordinary words just don't work for the these extraordinary figures and extraordinary renderings of them. This book is truly about beauty in its most masculine form.
//wiredweird