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List Price: $80.00 | | Publisher: powerHouse Books
Salesrank: 97983
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| Our Price: $19.90 |
| Used Price: $18.16 |
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| Media: Hardcover |
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Editorial Review:
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."
As I See It Reviews:
Ultimately, it all depends on what style of photography you like 
2007-04-24 - 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 
2007-01-15 - 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
2006-08-15 - ONE OF THE MOST EXCEPTIONAL BOOKS OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE WORLD>
MR. GORMAN AT HIS BEST!
If you like this style of clone, go for it.
2005-03-20 -
Art is a matter of taste, and taste will affect one's assessment. The reason I was immensely disappointed in this book was because (a) almost all the models look the same and (b) that particular style of clone isn't what I find particularly appealing--at least not enough to welcome a couple hundred pictures of essentially the same thing. With that many models, one might naturally expect to find a variety--a few alternate races thrown in, or at least a few different looks (body types) and variety of presentation. We all have our preferences, and this wasn't mine.
Maybe I should give three stars instead of two, because, after all, the editorial review does provide a hint (if inadequate) that these are "carefully selected" guys "who exemplify FOR GORMAN a perfected state." It's just that you won't know what that limitation is exactly (what his idea of perfection is), until you get the book.
One thing I found odd, which is partly why I say "clones," is that virtually all the models are circumcised (if they're not, they appear to be...). A whole bookful of cut models--who are touted as a perfected state of grace, beauty and elegance of the nude male form--has got to be disappointing to those who appreciate the natural male form. The only natural-appearing model featured in the entire book (that I could find) is the very LAST one pictured--and I couldn't help but wonder if the only reason for its inclusion had something to do with size. Oh, I did see just one other "natural" photo, but only in one shot in the series of a long-haired, girlish-looking blond from slightly more of a distance, an outdoor shot. Perhaps this non-prominate exception was also included, again in the back of the book, for its jarringly different look (the fluffy long hair). Just a hint of diversity.
If you share the same idea of what is the "perfected state" of the male form (white, cut and youngish), and don't mind purchasing a whole book limited to just that, then this book is quite respectable. Buy it. Still, I wonder how it could receive such utterly superlative accolades in the other reviews. After all, inside its elegantly macho covers, it's rather ordinary in its presentation, not glossy, not strikingly presented (no margins, pictures covering the entire page--which in my opinion is not the most ideal presentation of black and white photos); so I could understand "very good" or even "excellent," but the best ever seen since the beginning of time? Not even close for this reviewer who is an avid collector of fine photography in diverse genres. Others obviously feel differently--and that's why we have reviews.
Wonderful Nude Male Photography
2003-07-26 - The photographs in this book are just marvelous. Gorman has a way of evoking each model's personality so well with his shots. There are also some lower level celebrities in the mix so that is cool. Christopher Atkins has a great spread. If you love the male form, you will love this book of breathtaking photos.
