I am fascinated by the posts on this Facebook page... on which I am 'group expert.'
This was the 29th FH collage. I was brought up short by a comment on the above page that pointed out the utter dominance of white figures in the nostalgic look at 'beefcake.' This set of 100 modified record covers is almost certainly guilty of the same bias. At least the postcards I have been posting allow some images of black models; but again I worry that that is a reprehensible return to exoticism, the cult of negritude as wholly other. I am sure I do not do this - I just search out beautiful photographs, or magazine 'stars' that echo my personal preferences when it comes to age and body-type. Self-analysis is difficult' it is fraught with miscalculation when it comes to artwork, so is far more prone to false interpretation by a Narcissistic artist like myself.
It has just struck me that the orientation of the guys in the magazines cannot be verified: I assume that the men are gay in 'gay' mags, but there is no proof, no data, and I think it doesn't matter. My particular male gaze sweeps up what appeals to me, and that is a function of 60+ years of looking. The ephebe is not to everyone's taste, nor the otter or bear. An important distinction is that who I date and who I want as a life-model are not the same, and if fact I am willing to draw anyone: it is not a case of an appropriate or preferred body-type. I personally prefer a model where I can see structure, so skinny, bony. But Beth, my favourite at collage, was a very Rubensian lady. She had such presence and dignity and could sit perfectly still for 40 minutes, the only thing movement her eyelids.
These pictures have a subtext that refers to ecstasy and its 'breaking up' of reality..