Additionally, he has reviewed Brini Maxwell's campy Guide to Gracious Living: Tips, Tricks, Recipes, and Ideas to Make Your Life Bloom. Contact
  Athletes &
Gymnasts (2 Volume Set) by Jonathan Anderson and Edwin Low Santa Fe, NM: Twin Palms, 2002 Having trouble selecting the perfect book(s) for birthday or seasonal special giving for a very special friend, most especially one who loves to look at books rather than read them? Years from now when connoisseurs and experts of the art of male* figural photography, both nude and semi-nude, inventory and judge their collections, they may feel like the Louvre Museum would feel without the “Mona Lisa” if this case bound work of two art volumes is not among their catalog of masterworks. Athletes and Gymnasts, Anderson and Low’s double volume set is a masterpiece of figural photographs and perhaps the best collected work of male athletes ever captured on film. *The beauty of the female body form is found in both volumes, but the works are chiefly photographs of males.  Despite
the fact that the two volumes may be purchased separately and each
project documents a totally different subject in a myriad of different
manners, ironically, the two books fit together as perfectly as a
person’s left and right hands when clasped.First, some facts. Jonathan Anderson and Edwin Low have worked together as “Anderson & Low” from their London base since 1990. Serendipitously, they met while sharing a darkroom. Over time, their subject matter has varied considerably to include architectural, landscape, nude, and portrait photography, but at least since 1997 they have focused upon athletes. The first of their two volumes is an exploration of the world of Olympians. The photography project began in 1997, three years prior to the Summer Games in Sydney. Anderson and Low created portraits of 116 athletes, male and female, representative of an amazing array of sports that include boxing, weightlifting, wrestling, diving and swimming and water polo, squash, gymnastics, badminton, cycling, and baseball. They even photograph pentathletes and triathletes. The Olympic competitors represent the UK, Australia, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, Belarus, Hungary, Russia, and Ireland. Indeed, one of the great virtues of Athletes is the racial and ethnic diversity of the athletes portrayed. The athletes range in age from teens to those on the edge of middle age, yet one of the lasting impressions of these intense photographs is that all of the athletes are at the absolute peak of their physical perfection. They will never again appear as it were with the exactness of sculptures of a Roman or Greek gods sculpted in white marble. In 2002, Anderson & Low were invited to exhibit a special showing of their “Athletes” photographs at the National Portrait Gallery in London. No setting could be more unique or appropriate. Greatly enlarged copies of these 116 masterful portraits, placed side-by-side must have been nearly overwhelming to admirers. (Thank goodness the book version captures some of the excitement such an exhibit must have caused.) Portraiture has rarely been more varied. There are strikingly beautiful and handsome full-body portraits of athletes such as the UK swimmer Katy Sexton and the Belarus gymnast Ivav Ivankov who are clearly posing for Anderson & Low’s cameras. The contrasts of individual portraits are part of the brilliant design of the book (see below). For example, on pages 90 and 91, side-by-side full-page portraits show a confident, smiling USA gymnast, Lee McDermott, readying himself for competition while on the opposing page, viewers see an extremely pensive full-body image of Jaiwat Yaman, a Malaysian boxer grimly readying himself for battle in what will perhaps simultaneously be the most heroic or disappointing moment of his entire life. Other poses appear to defy human capabilities. Australian swimmer Michael Klim is shown posed totally under water in a swimming pool as if he was naturally amphibian. Paired and group portraits also fill the pages of this marvelous volume. One spectacular photograph portrays UK gymnastics team twins, Kevin and Andrew Atherton, facing each other while they individually complete perfect handstands on the parallel bars. Neither is covered with anything but a loin cloth. The identical images play tricks with the human eye. The photograph is sensual and incredibly erotic without ever being pornographic. Anderson & Low are not shy about revealing portraits of singular body parts rather than the whole body, either. A photograph solely of a boxer’s hands being wrapped for coming combat is exceptionally dramatic as is a full-page image of the muscular thigh of a runner. An image of the chest alone of a gymnast at his peak is similarly both arresting and revealing. Group portraits are also striking. While the UK gymnastics team takes a rare moment of non-activity to satisfy the craving needs of the camera, not one member of the team leaves his post. This is not a portrait of stolid soldiers or gladiators lined up in perfect symmetry. Rather, it is a moment, frozen in time, when every athlete practicing his event (e.g., rings, floor exercises) halts long enough for the click of the shutter. In a very different manner, many of the athletes are not posed in a formal sense but they have been captured by the cameras of Anderson & Low at peak moments of athletic activity: stretching, exercising, resting (gasping for even a single breath of life-sustaining air), swimmers breaking through the water, an injured swimmer with ice packs strapped to her muscular shoulders, bodies dripping sweat, and even stone-faced gladiators who have obviously experienced the bitter taste of defeat. Perhaps the most ferocious portraits are those of the water polo teams fiercely competing in the water and appearing more like a frenzied school of great white sharks rather than human combatants. The companion volume of Athletes/Gymnasts boxed set is different from its partner. Gymnasts first is not the full title of the book. The literal title of this volume is Gymnasts: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. Also, the sport represented is but one, gymnastics, and all the athletes are from the same nation, Denmark. Even more precisely, the subjects are members of the elite National Danish Gymnastics Team that travels around the world dazzling international audiences with their precision and special gymnastic-and-Danish traditions. End matter is often skipped, especially in books of the photographic arts, but nonreaders of Gymnasts will miss an unusual opportunity to learn how a sport is elevated to the level of a near religion in another nation. Niels Henrik Nielsen, coach of the National Danish Gymnastics Team, 1998, 1999 writes: Gymnastics have always been a way of bringing people together in Denmark. Its roots are so deep that Danes consider local gymnastics clubs places where democratization and socialization were born. (n.p.) The National Danish Gymnastics Team is so much more than a collection of superb athletes. They and their coaches are living sculptures and sculptors. Whether in quiet and gentle rest or in seemingly impossible physical activity, these athlete-artists raise the bar on athletic portraiture and Anderson & Low take sports photography to an entirely new height of genius. There are no equals. No where is this more apparent than with the single photograph in the “Earth” segment of Gymnasts in the “seven-man nude handstand,” probably the most dramatic sports photograph ever taken. A significant difference between Athletes and Gymnasts is that all the athletes in Gymnasts: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire are photographed in the nude and appear exceptionally comfortable with the exquisiteness of their sculpted human forms. Anderson & Low especially accentuate the elements in photographs that become symbols of the particular element they represent. Indeed, the presence of the nude human form with the absence of images of male or female genitalia allow the four elements to become more symbolic and universal than erotic. For example, in the “Earth” segment of Gymnasts, three male athletes strike a pose that is unmistakably a reverent homage to the Crucifixion while another nude male figure with his back turned to the camera appears alone except to possess slowly moving, always circling, multiple arms suggestive of a Hindu religious figure. The eloquent images of man and “Fire” is brought forth photographically in a kind of staged operatic magnificence. Man and his link to life-saving or life-destroying fire is not lost on viewers in the skilled hands of these great photographers. Underwater photography has never been as graceful as the male nudes dance and balance as if sea born. In the “Water” section, these men may be gymnasts, but they also create homoerotic water ballets. These nude men seem to grow from an embryo stage to full, sexually powerful manhood, each complete with enormous respect for every touch, movement, and embrace. Still, it is the aerial photography of Anderson & Low that leaves the viewer speechless. How can men of such incredibly grand physiques defy gravity and fly as free as birds or with angels circling on air currents? While there may be a few rare images from the “Earth” and “Water” and “Fire” sections of this handsome book that might not be missed if excised, there is not a single image in “Air” that would not impoverish the whole if it was not included. These are not just men who jump in the air and have their pictures captured by split second photography. These are Nordic gods capable of flight. They are air-bound men caught in their greatest moments of masculine splendor. These images are among the most handsomely erotic masculine nudes ever photographed, not just portraying, but becoming gods dancing in the freedom of the air as if perhaps beings from another planet where gravity does not exist. Indeed, they are heavenly bodies. When the viewer sees a nude young man fall from the sky, perfectly positioned, the imagination must work overtime to even comprehend the unbelievable radiance of the scene. Moreover, there is an exception clarity and purity in the “Air” photographs that cannot be found anywhere else in the world of photography. Every athlete defies gravity and every photographs is an artistic masterwork. The double-volume sports’ tribute is masterfully designed by the publisher Twin Palm (Santa Fe, New Mexico). The placement of photographs is also stunning. As previously cited, side-by-side, full-body photographs of the joy and ecstasy of the USA gymnast and the contrasting brooding Malaysian boxer on the opposite page is incredibly dramatic. White space is given its due, also. The dramatic, eye-catching full-page photograph of twins, Kevin and Andrew Atherton, of the UK gymnastics team facing each other while simultaneously completing perfect handstands on the parallel bars would lose its dramatic impact if paired with another photograph. Wisely, the book designers have used a layout that leaves the opposing page completely blank and brilliantly white. Anything less would spoil the dramatic impact of a great athletic photograph. Athletes and Gymnasts are not just very special black-and-white photographs. The distinguished independent American publisher, Twin Palms of Santa Fe, New Mexico has admirably carried through the black-and-white theme with singular dignity in the packaging of the boxed set of the paired volumes. The ethereal quality of the gymnastic angels found in the aerial photography of Gymnasts is virtually whiter-than-white while the more sweaty, earthy realm of Athletes is caressed by a unadorned black cover. Side-by-side, the stark black and white volumes are placed in a solid coal-black literary package with only “Anderson & Low” embossed on the spine of the slip case. Scan the contents of the photographic monographs in book stores and one will observe the majesty of the world’s natural wonders of sea and land, earth architecture via the combined majesty of land and sea (e.g., the Grand Canyon, ocean waves and quiet, watery depths), preserved on film by geniuses such as Ansel Adams, Philip Plisson, and David Doubilet. The grandeur of wildlife photographic collections is in abundance as well, arrested in both the past and present by artists such as Leni Riefenstahl and Steve Bloom, and movie greats as for instance Spencer Tracy and Rita Hayworth who were immortalized in the classic still photography of camera magicians such as George Hurrell. What is all too often lacking are photographic collections of world-class athletes who have not only broken records but sculpted their bodies to the greatest possible flawlessness. Two men have found such athletes and they have been ingenious in their portrayals of these heroes of sport. Anderson & Low are masters. Don’t deprive your coffee table, book shelf, or most of all that special person, of their bravura images of the gods of sport. Jerry Flack
Denver, Colorado |
 Brini Maxwell’s Guide to Gracious Living:
Tips, Tricks, Recipes & Ideas to Make Your Life Bloom by Brini Maxwell, Photographs by Branford Noble New York: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang, 2005 ISBN: 1584794267 Paperback, 128pp Pub. Date: October 2005 Living Graciously: “It’s an art but one of the easy arts, not like sculpting with cross sections of animal cadavers.”
Brini Maxwell
There are no doubt some slobs in the Independent Gay Writer audience such as this writer, but style-conscious gay guys and many women will find Brini Maxwell’s Guide to Gracious Living exactly the book they have been seeking for months. Even some BEAR readers may learn some valuable tips about decorating their dens or “caves” with the panache and style offered up by the delightfully retro-style book that is classic Brini Maxwell. And, speaking of “panache,” Brini’s guide will help all LGBTQ readers expand their vocabularies. Don’t be surprised if Brini sends even Ph.D. physicists to the dictionary in search of enlightenment as to how “mellifluous” fits in with their personal style. Think of Brini Maxwell as a svelte, relatively young (but much more beautiful) Martha Stewart sans criminal record and with a lot more Vogue in her appearance than House and Garden. In addition to telling readers how to decorate their homes, where to find furnishings to fit their styles, as well as offering up other choice advice such as how to pack a suitcase for a dream vacation, Brini does offer some down-to-earth tips that all LGBTQ readers will find useful and perhaps even appealing. And, the glory is Brini’s book of style is not just a “send up.” Her ideas really work. This author bears testimony. Have “ring-around-the-collar” on shirts and blouses? Never fear. Cover the stains with tooth paste and use a tooth brush to scrub away the offending blemishes. Brini Maxwell may well be a style diva, but she is no dummy. After all, as the reigning artistic TV queen points out, tooth paste was made to dissolve body oils. It makes perfect sense to use it for getting rid of collar stains. Have an ugly rusty stain in the bath room sink? There is no need to pull out the Comet Cleanser and rubber gloves (as well as ruin a manicure in the process). Just place paper towels sheets over the rust stain before going to bed. Then pour a liberal amount of clothing bleach to saturate the paper towels. The next morning all the stylish domestic has to do is transfer the paper towels to the waste basket. Voila! The offensive rust stain is gone and the entire process was very nearly effortless. One more style tip. Don’t have dull walls even if you only have just four of them. Blah institutional yellow is OK, if not exactly desirable, for three of the walls, but paint, paper, or otherwise make the fourth wall a dramatic focal point if you truly want a stylish abode. Perhaps one of the walls can be painted with a dramatic accent color and serve as the “gallery” for photographs of a friends, pets, family, or colorful memorabilia from the best vacation ever. (Brini has lots of great tips for travel, too!) Or, a dramatic head board for a bed can be the focal point of a room, jazzing up that fourth wall. The supreme emphasis on style is evident early on in Brini Maxwell’s Guide to Gracious Living via her chapter on the necessity of each person choosing his or her style and then carrying through on it in every aspect of his or her life: decorating and furnishings, clothing, entertaining and parties, hair style, recipes and dining, pets, games, and travel (complete with style-conscious luggage). In other words, the complete package. Regardless of whether readers have a one-bedroom apartment or a mansion is far less important than choosing THE style that suits the individual and then sticking with it. Brini admits that she found her style, “mid-century modern”* (others refer to it as “retro classic”) in thrift shops. Indeed, one of the hundreds of suggestions Brini has is choosing a personal style where all the trimmings will not bankrupt the individual. Brini is definitely not a snob. The “style” that one chooses is not nearly as critical as the flowering of that style in every aspect of the subject’s life. There is nothing wrong with being domestic or spending spare time in thrift shops, but there is a lot wrong if one lacks stylish domesticity! Every home needs to shout: “STYLE!” *Readers who are old enough to have greatly mourned the passing of TV greats “That Girl” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Bewitched,” as well as “The Brandy Bunch” and “The Partridge Family” will feel right at home in Brini’s world. Finally, here is the book of their dreams. Brini’s style totally embraces these 1970 TV icons. Brini Maxwell is the STAR of her own television series on TV’s The Style Network and even with this author’s admission to being a complete “6” on the Kinsey Scale, he has to admit that Brini is a beautiful fashion model with brains and hundreds of practical suggestions for stylish living. The book is perfectly designed and features terrific photography by Bradford Noble. All the colors, designs, and milieu in the art-oriented backdrop settings appear to have come straight from “That Girl” TV sets. Brini is a blond Mary Tyler Moore, circa 1970, all the way. The fashion shots are great. From start to finish, the book is like a wonderful time machine trip back to 1970. Moreover, the book is not limited to only fashion and style. The recipes for party nibbles (deviled eggs) and cocktails (teetotaler’s glog), not to mention full-food menus such as Janet Leigh’s meatloaf (NEVER to be consumed in the shower) and gourmet mac & cheese (served buffet style, of course) are even more added attractions. Brini Maxwell’s Guide to Gracious Living is the perfect stocking stuffer for the holidays. This is especially true if one’s lover is as handsome as Rock Hudson or as beautiful as Doris Day, but just lacks that one essential and infinitely important essence: STYLE! Jerry Flack wrote this review when he was not visiting thrift shops on South Broadway in Denver in search of a chrome dining room table set with matching chairs covered with pink plastic seats and a Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob Smith holiday centerpiece. |