Sweet Shaven Angels is one of those rare publications that really stands out from the rest of its kind. It's more than a collection of glamour nudes with its subjects shaved smooth as its title might imply. It's artistic testimony to the electrifying sensuality of the exotic, female form.
Yes, Russian photographer Mikhail Paramonov populates his work here with youthful, angelic-looking girls, and yes, their legs, labias, armpits, etc, are indeed shaved smooth. But Sweet Shaven Angels trenscends its genre (and becomes one of the must-have books to purchase this year) for three main reasons: First, Paramonov's female subjects here are an extraordinary selection of breathtakingly beautiful, exotic-looking, fresh faced, youthful, all-natural and non-tattooed young women. The qualities of 'sweet' and 'angelic' appear to be extremely accurate. Second, Paramonov's photography is outstanding. His compositions, vibrant color, and svelte tonal qualities are simply astounding. The landscape format of the book itself is quite unique too and serves to empower the images showcased within. Finally, Paramonov manages to intertwine his subjects' appealingly sweet, angelic demeanor with a powerful element of eroticism without venturing into explicit sexuality. Viewers are made privy to every inch of his subjects silky, naked forms but it's their creamy smooth genitalia that command attention in many of the compositions. And Paramonov does so in such a way as to not appear overly obvious or impudent. So, although this work in not definitively sexual, it is unabashedly sensual.