vintage

Model Jerry Cooper by beefcake photographer Dave Martin. 1950.

culture physique: classic bodybuilders

(zaro rossi):(phil knight):(serge nubret, 2nd mr universe 1963, 2nd mr universe 1964, 3rd mr universe, 2nd mr world 1969, mr europe 1970, 3rd mr olympia 1972, 2nd mr olympia 1973, 3rd mr olympia 1974, 2nd mr olympia 1975, mr universe 1976, olympus, 2nd mr universe, pro mr world 1977, 2nd mr universe 1978, 2nd pro world cup 1981, world championship 1983):(scott manley):(frank nisi):(anibal lopez, 3rd junior mr usa 1969, 3rd junior mr america, 2nd mr world 1970, mr east coast, 3rd junior mr usa, 4th mr world 1971, 5th junior mr america 1972, 3rd mr america, 3rd junior mr america, 3rd mr usa 1973, 3rd mr america, 2nd mr usa 1975, 4th pro mr america 1976, pro mr america 1977, pro mr america, 3rd natural mr america, 3rd mr universe, pro mr world 1978, pro mr amrica 1980):

history of male nude photography 130

Abandoning the beefcake years.
David of California.Ferdinando Antonio Lanza was one of the first expert and appreciated muscle magazine photographers in the 50s, after a good career as a professional wrestler; he was known as Mario Lanza, the Singing Wrestler. Born in Montreal in 1920, Lanza worked with brothers Ben and Joe Weider (important publishers of physique magazines) to create the International Federation of Bodybuilders in the late 1940s. He has photographed the most famous bodybuilders and wrestlers of his era; in 1950 won the Mr. Sante Quebec bodybuilding title, in 1964 opened a wrestling school where he taught until he retired in the late 70s.Dave Martin (see 10.22.11) was a master of shadows and ight; posed Bay Area athletes and common men as classical characters. Fire chiefs, college jocks, delivery men, somehow Dave Martin got them all to take their clothes of for his camera. (Thanks to BigKugels).http://bigkugels.com/

history of male nude photography 114

Another pioneer of the male nude photography, the first on the West Coast, Dave Martin has left thousand of pictures, his work has dominated (with Bruce, Al Urban, Lon, Bob Mizer, WPG) 1950's homoerotic culture. Dave, like many other colleagues, has always used the common alibis to avoid troubles with the censors: young students of the Stanford University doing sports, men emulating Greek art in classic postures or athletes immersed in the nature among rocks and trees, he was one of the very few photographers to shoot African American models even if there was no market for those photographs . His portraits frequently appeared on physique magazines such as Physique Pictorial, Grecian Guild Pictorial and Vim, the dramatic lighting, powerful poses and masculine directness have strongly influenced Robert Mapplethorpe (among many others). Dave Martin was born in 1922 in Philadelphia; in 1948 following his friend Alonzo Hanagan, later Lon of New York, Dave moved to San Francisco. He was the first to open a shop in 1951 on Sacramento Street; he has always worked in the San Francisco Bay area up to 1974, was briefly jailed for obscenity charges in the 50s. Janssen Press has published in 2001 the important book "Dave Martin. American photography of the male nude 1940-1970". (Thanks to BigKugels).

http://www.bigkugels.com/

storia della fotografia di nudo maschile 31

Alle immagini "culture physique" delle riviste di culturismo che ormai erano diffusissime fu sufficiente aggiungere un pò d'ironia e divertimento per cambiare completamente destinatario: la strizzatina d'occhio verso il lettore gay è capita, quelle foto, pur rispettando la morale comune, sono rivolte a lui. Il genere fotografico che nacque per merito di alcuni fotografi straordinari, avventurosi e sempre al limite con la legge, venne denominato "beefcake" ("bistecconi"); nel giro di qualche anno, attraverso riviste di culturismo nate appositamente e che di culturismo si occupavano assai poco, il fenomeno del tutto originale diventa di massa, e pur restando un prodotto assolutamente americano trova qualche seguace in Europa. Nelle pubblicazioni "beefcake" la differenza tra il tollerato nudo "artistico" e la fotografia erotica maschile puramente commerciale si fa indefinibile; molti fotografi scattano un doppio servizio con lo stesso modello e la medesima ambientazione, uno piu' castigato per la pubblicazione su rivista e uno piu' disinibito per le vendite per corrispondenza. L'elenco dei fotografi "beefcake" e' lunghissimo ed il fenomeno artistico e culturale che durera' parecchi decenni e avrà tanta influenza sulla cultura gay non e' ancora stato analizzato completamente.
(reg park, 1950 circa):(lon of ny, john grimek, 1940 circa):

(dave martin, mike sill, 1950 circa): (anonimo):

(bruce of la, bob mucci, 1950 circa):