Female Artists and the Nude Male, Part 7:

      This is a continuation of the larger essay.  My original plan was to post one more part after this one.  Part 1 of this series can be found at my profile.

      Aude Du Pasquier Grall was born in 1974, in Paris, France.  Her photographic work has included pictures and videos of the naked male and has been showcased in a number of solo and group exhibitions.  On a website found at this link the artist describes in English what she calls “Le Cycle Masculin” (The Male Cycle), which she has been working on since 1998.  In part she writes: “With almost scientific curiosity, I am shooting portraits of naked men according to a very precise process: I am always alone with them in my studio, with a camera or a movie-camera in hand, other cameras and microphones being positioned on tripods around the room.  None of them is used to being naked in front of a camera.”
      She describes her models as being “. . . young and desirable . . .” and also writes: “. . . they offer their bodies to my eye and to my creative desire; they allow me to model them with words, like sculptures.”
      In describing her work she writes:  “I try to represent masculine beauty and I show – with images and words – how it is generated.  To me, the beauty of the male body is best expressed in a history of the cycles, on a period of time in which desire wavers.”  She then writes: “I question the relation between the female artist and her male models.  The confrontation between men and women – with its symbolic constructions and relation of force – is for me an excuse to approach human issues.  Then I continue my quest as male remains a great mystery to me.”
      Further down on the above linked to website is a description of Aude Du Pasquier Grall’s Male Cycles written by Evence Verdier.  Under the subtitle “The work of a woman who likes men” Evence Verdier writes: “The Male Cycle was prompted by curiosity and by a fascination for the transformation of the male sexual organs.”  Then under the subtitle “The balance of power” is written: “Aude du Pasquier Grall demands specific poses and attitudes, a ‘formal’ adaptation of her model, whom she precisely tries to ‘model’ with her speech, so as to make him have an erection.”
      Extracts, in an under 2 minute long video, from “Le Cycle Masculin No. 6” can be found here.  Images from “Le Cycle Masculin No. 7” can be found here Image one, Image two and Image three.  “Le Cycle Masculin No. 7” was projected on two screens.  I also found an almost 18 minute long video, on Dailymotion, of the artist’s “Le Cycle Masculin No. 6.” 

      Britt Marie Trensmar is another female photographer who has used the naked male as a subject in many of her works.  She has published some of her photographs in her book “Play the Man” (2003) and had some of her photographs published in the “Mammoth Book of Gorgeous Guys” (2011) which was edited by Barbara Cardy.  A slideshow of images from “Play the Man” can be found here.   It is my understanding that Britt Marie Trensmar is Scandinavian.
      The following are excerpts from an article entitled “An interview and feature on the work of one of the world’s leading woman who photographs men, Britt Marie Trensmar.” I believe this was first published in Filament magazine.  Filament magazine has since been discontinued and it appears that the webpage on which I originally found the article no longer exists.
      When did you start photographing men as erotic subjects, and why?
      “I love men and their bodies. It’s not just that they turn me on; I see their bodies as beautiful landscapes. It can be sexual, or not.  In 1997 – 1998 I was commissioned to photograph naked men for a daily newspaper.  The newspaper originally had something else in mind, but I managed to do it my way and it turned out so well that I got a long-term commission to photograph one man every week, like a Page 3 Girl.  Over three years I photographed almost 150 men all over Sweden.
      “Are you photographing what you personally find erotic, or for a wider sense of what women may like?
      “Tastes seem to vary, especially among women, because we are not as brainwashed as men are to desire particular images and looks.
      “Many of your models are typically masculine. Is this your own taste? Why did you choose these men as subjects?
      “It’s my own taste, but my taste can vary. I also like men with beautiful long hair, but I didn’t find any to photograph at the time.
      “Do you think it’s politically important for women to photograph men erotically?
      “Yes, or men take care of that as well and bombard women with images of how they think women should look at men, which means that women are letting men decide, shape and control the image of mankind as well as erotica. These images go right into our minds, thoughts and dreams, controlling how and what we are turned on by.
      “Have you found any work by other women who photograph men to use as an inspiration?
      “Women photographing men for women is extremely rare, . . .” 

      Jeanine Leclaire is a female painter who was born in Florida in 1980.  Her paintings include nudes, both male and female.  The artist tends to paint figures in private moments of solemn, contemplation.  She recently (2013) did a show called “The Secret Lives of Humans.”  This link is to an image of “The Importance of Cleanliness V 2009” one of Jeanine Leclaire’s paintings of a naked man. 

      The photographic artist Harriet Leibowitz was born in Atlanta, Georgia.  A large number of her photographs depict naked men.  These men are generally young and fit.  The following are examples of Harriet Leibowitz’ black and white photographs with only one male in them: ”Joel Pool” and “Jeff Hoop 1.”  The artist’s black and white photographs showing two men include “Ine’s Shower 2” and “Michael & David.”  Domestic Series is a number of black and white photographs of multiple naked men and “Domestic Series #8” is one of these photographs.  The picture “Saturated” is in color and is an example of a series the artist calls “Innocence.”  The photograph “Oakland 2” has a distinctively classical look, while “Kyle” displays the body in an unusual way, at least for a male nude.  
      Harriet Leibowitz also has a series of photographs called “Geisha.”  These pictures depict men with “Geisha” makeup.  Some of them are clothed in robes, but some are naked.  “Geisha #4” is an example from this series depicting a naked man.
      The artist has also produced a number of semi-abstract photographs such as the following: “Silhouette 1”       and “midnight series” and some of her photographs seem to have been meant to suggest a story, such as the ones in her series “Grand Expectations” and “A Southern Season.”  A website where her portfolio of pictures can be seen can be found here. 

      Kristen Copham is a female painter.  In this website, she writes: “In 2004 – 2005, I painted nude male artists, collaborating with each man to create a work that represented their work and who they are.  Instead of approaching each artist as an object in the painting, I approached them as a subject and gave them a voice.  This body of work speaks to our preconceptions about male nudity as a primarily homoerotic form and also challengers the history of gender in nude artwork, i.e. the historical tradition of male artists painting nude women.”
      In a web article from the “Minnesota Women’s Press” by Jenn Day the artist is described as a St. Paul native.  Within the article Kristen Copham is quoted as saying that “I like to use the human form to create stories and also to challenge stereotypes and taboos that we have in our society.”  Further Jenn Day writes that the artist “. . . admits she was nervous about the nudity herself, but she was more interested in asking herself why.”  The artist is again quoted as saying “I enjoy dealing with the discomfort that comes with having somebody nude in the room.”  It is also stated in the article that “Sometimes she [the artist] catches herself feeling nervous when she’s painting herself in the nude, alone in her own studio.”
      At this link is an image of the artist and what I believe is one of her paintings.  Other depictions of the male nude which appear to have been done by Kristen Copham are: “Uncertain” and “The Russian.” 

      This is the thirteenth in my series of essays dealing with female artists.  The other twelve are “Three Female Artists,” “Lotte Reiniger” which told about a pioneering female film animator, “Three Female Sculptors,” “Self-Portraits by Female Artists, Part 1 and Part 2” and “Dorothea Lange” which told about a female photographer of documentaries, as well as Female Artists and the Nude Male, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6.  I plan to do more and if you are interested you can “watch me.”  Also, as always comments are welcomed.
      Tom,