ART OF THE MALE NUDE
manzartgallery.com presents
"What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed?"
Michelangelo
WHY MALE NUDES?
After taking some life drawing lessons (drawing a live person, either clothed or naked) I began drawing or painting people, either facial or full body, including nudes. In doing so I found that the human form is one of the most interesting, complicated and fulfilling objects to draw or paint. To capture both the look and the feel of the person before me, whether in person or a photograph, is challenging but, in the end, very satisfying.
In the past I've painted or drawn nudes of both genders. But now I find the most fulfillment in presenting the beauty and aesthetic of the naked male body. Using a variety of media, I celebrate the man, his masculinity and maleness, in its most authentic, most exposed form. In painting the male nude I try to strip away the mystery of the man on the canvas or paper, presenting him to the viewer as both physically and emotionally open and free of shame.
Obviously, a depiction of the nude form can arouse some element of erotic feeling. However, in most of my presentations, my goal is not to be unnecessarily erotic or salacious*, rather to simultaneously express virility and vulnerability of the man depicted; to evoke an innate quality of the male human that needs no masking or hiding. Whether presented as dramatic or playful, sensuous or silly, alone or in a group, my portrayal of nude males bring to the viewer an insight into the intimate world of masculinity experienced by only a few.
* There are a few nudes in erotic poses presented in the gallery
section but none that would be described as pornographic.