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Tom
Bianchi
As a photographer, Tom Bianchi
truly has the Midas Touch. Everything he touches turns to gold.
Every book that he has put out represents a new stage in his development
as an artist and every one of them rises to a new standard in artistic
photography. On The Couch certainly fits into line with his
previous masterpieces. An amazing multitude of modern Adonis's, all of
them with bodies to die for, strip down for Tom and pose upon his infamous
leather couch. Many of them share the experience with their partner. And
what unfolds is an unbelievably honest and at times brazen portrait of
both the beautiful male body as well as the sexuality of men. Lovers kiss,
they fondle and stroke each other, they embrace, and they play as boys.
Many of the portraits feature the subject in a full state of arousal. This
might be one of the magical qualities of the book, for Tom portrays the
male member in such splendid fashion that few will fail to be enthralled.
No one will review this book and not be touched or even changed in some
manner.
We voted for Men I've Loved as the Best Book of the Year. It is
truly a heartfelt, endearing photo-diary from a man of great depth and
feeling. The prose and poems that accompany the portraits Tom created over
the course of his life are reflective of his passion and commitment to
each and every one of his loves. It is a strong statement in itself that
each of these beautiful men trusted Bianchi to photograph them in such an
honest and revealing manner. They were all probably well aware that they
were posing for one of the great photographers of our time but that
doesn't detract from the marvelous work created. While the imagery
presented in Men I've Loved in no way surpasses what he's presented
in his past works (it certainly equals it though), the intimate
revelations are certainly a welcome surprise and make this book special
amongst Bianchi's published works.
Tom Bianchi has long been acclaimed for his masterful photos of the male
nude. Now, with Among Women, Bianchi proves himself equal to the
task of capturing women's relationships and individual beauty. In
collaboration with the women in this book, Bianchi has thrown out the old
clichés and roles into which women are usually cast and broken new ground
in this exploration of the female nude. By inviting these women to be
portrayed as they wished to be seen, Bianchi provided them a comfortable
stage on which to be themselves and, as a result, was rewarded with
wonderfully varied and compellingly rich portraits. Marked by an
independent spirit and the subjects' confident strength in their physical
presence, the work in Bianchi's Among Women is among his best ever.
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