The End: Montauk, N.Y.

Book Description

In the 1960s the fishing village of Montauk became the surfer's paradise of the east coast. Located at the tip of Long Island's South Fork, the easternmost point of the Hamptons, this paradise existed primarily for locals-not surfers who migrated to the beach for the summer, but those who were out in the rocky reefs every day, year round. Today, a new tribe of surfers exists-young locals who live by their own rules. Rule number 1: Never tell anyone where the good surf spots are. Rule number 2: See rule number 1.

In the 1990s photographer Michael Dweck rented a house on Ditch Plains beach (site of the best surf break) and gained unprecedented access to this insular community. The End follows the surfers through their daily rituals from early morning wave reports to evening bonfires on the beach, capturing their youthful hedonism. Through portraits, nudes, and photographs of the landscape, this book celebrates lives lived only to surf-an endless summer of perfect weather and languorous beauty.

Customer Reviews:

Summary.......2006-06-27

I was very fortunate to see Michael Dweck's exhibition "The Surfers Life" here at the renown Blitz Gallery in Tokyo last week and I was very impressed. The show was an astonishingly beautiful collection of images by a very gifted photographer who presents his subject with great sensitivity and warmth. And, though many of these images have been seen before in his book The End:Montauk, NY", it was worth a trip to Blitz to see the show live.
The End is Michael Dweck's breakthrough debut collection of extraordinary work. The true first. I believe The End was published to accompany an exhibition at International Center for Photography New York in May 2004. With its handsome production designed by Jeremy Miller and oversize-volume format, the book is a virtual stand-alone mini-exhibition in its own right. It is not really a book, but an art object: one that transcends the notion of a mere "book." It is an object of intrinsic beauty and the mere holding of it in one's hands conveys the good taste, fine quality, and the superb craftmanship that were blended to create The End. Sand-colored silk cloth boards with titles embossed on spine. Photographs and texts by Michael Dweck. Poetic fragment, "From Montauk Point" (from "Leaves of Grass"), by Walt Whitman. List of Plates appended at the end. Printed on thick coated stock paper in Singapore to the highest standards. In pictorial dust jacket with very large flaps, black titles on the spine and elegant glassine vertical band. This book presents the photographer's nostalgic (and erotic) tribute to the legendary beach community. Montauk is one of America's best-kept secrets: The ultimate surfer's paradise, it has remained largely unchanged since it was discovered in the 1960's. It has miraculously been shielded from the crass commercialism and corrupt hedonism that have ruined the magic of the Hamptons. There is something almost mystical about the fact that it is located at the tip of Long Island. "This paradise has existed primarily for locals, not surfers who migrate to the beach for the summer but those who are out in the rocky reefs everyday. In the 1990's, Michael Dweck gained unprecedented access to this insular community. His book follows the surfers through their daily rituals from early morning wave reports to evening bonfires on the beach. Dweck has an eye for the women but it is misleading to label him a female-nude photographer, as many commentators have done. There are photographs of Sonya, Shannon, Katarina, Lilla, Genelle, Jessica and other beach beauties but Dweck is also fascinated by a teenager surfing phenomenon named Kurt, who has been surfing since he was a little boy. Kurt is the Bruce Weber ideal: All-American, blond, blue-eyed, beautiful. What sets him apart from the fashion or commercial model-type is his care-free attitude and complete lack of narcissism. He looks like the young Peter Beard, who stays in Montauk when he is in the United States. Dweck pays tribute to the great artist/photographer with a lovely full-page portrait. A gorgeous book. Lavishly illustrated with black-and-white and color plates and 2 stunning foldouts. In my opinion, one of the most accomplished living American photographers.

Save Your Money.......2006-06-22

The book's title is, "The End." Let's hope that it is just that...the last of a sorry attempt of portrayal to nowhere. We don't need anymore of this crap shoved on us via a misleading cover photo on a dust jacket solely designed to sell a bad product. Most amazon.com people probably did purchase this book because of the nude surfer chick on the front cover. This is as good as it gets.

From the intro double-truck pic of a rear shot of 4 completely nude males, it becomes apparent that photographer Dweck has a jones for males. Lotsa males...128 at first count throughout this large coffee table size book. Had other reviewers pointed this out, I would not have wasted my $12 on a used copy of this $60 book. Why photog Dweck has several one-page deals of a close-up of a rear of a male's head is anyone's guess. Is he also a barber? Or is it just a rear head fetish? Or does Dweck just simply not know what to do with a camera? As far as one reviewer stating "Naturally beautiful women so gorgeous my teeth hurt", where has this person been? Hiding in a cave? Locked up in a basement? Yes, some of the chicks look ok, some are down-right hot, but I see them everyday.

Readers will tire of watching lower to lower-middle class males, some festooned with tatoos as visual crutches for identity, as markers for self-esteem to nowhere. Nor did the one or two shots of drunken derelicts still desperately clinging to the cup that did them in make an impression. I know, this is supposed to be artsy, but don't you outgrow this after art school? And I don't think photog Dweck has been to arts school. Now, if you want a craggy, dried up leather face that appears to have baked in a 120-degree desert for 100 years? Drink-up, but don't waste good paper and print on someone else's ill-begotten lifestyle. People bought this book sight-unseen in the anticipation of seeing others having fun, not on a slow ticket to suicide.

The photog appears to be an amateur and is grappling with what to do with a camera. From the wasted color shot (the only color shot in the entire book) of a double-truck of a blue sky with some clouds to an entire page devoted to a plastic shark.....what is the point? And then there is this chick riding her bicycle in another double truck scene, meandering to nowhere faithfully staying in the photog's viewfinder with an expression of "When is this going to end?"

Please read the other reviews as I have done. Where are they coming from? You might ask are they reviewing the same book as I have? What in the hell is going on?

this book sucks.......2006-03-16

anyone who is from montauk or the hamptons will this this book is lame. number one the photography is bad. number 2 this guy knows nothing about the area. He rented a house at ditch for 1 summer? big friggin deal. The only bright spot in the book is his choice of models, who he photographed badly.

Why is this named for Montauk??.......2005-03-30

Nice pictures but has not much at all to do with Montauk NY except for a few shots of local landmarks, the majority of the book is basically a teen clothing catalog,pretty people scantily clad,not much to taking pictures of beautiful 22 year olds?? Very disappointed using the name Montauk because there is too much natural beauty in this place to waste it on a book of pretty people that could be on any beach.

Stunning Youth.......2004-07-30

Naturally beautiful women so gorgeous my teeth hurt. Michael Dweck seems to capture his subjects in obvious poses that reflect not stiffness, but natural ease that only youth allows. The beautiful women featured along with real surfer-dudes and beachscapes allow one to visually experience a culture and lifestyle that is private and doesn't tolerate gawking.

The Male Ideal: Lon of New York and the Masculine Physique

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The Male Ideal:
In the Beginning: The Contributions of the Pioneer in Male Photography
Beautiful then but not now!
LUSCIOUS !!
How Great Words Beautify Great Art

The Male Ideal: Lon of New York and the Masculine Physique

Manufacturer: Universe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0789309963
Release Date: 2004-03-04

Book Description

Long before Bruce Weber or Herb Ritts picked up a camera, there was a photographer whose images glorified the male nude. But Alonzo Hanagan, better known as Lon of New York, was working during the 1940s and 1950s, when images of the male nude were not just illicit but illegal. Twice, his studio was raided and his negatives destroyed by police. Many of the images in this book thus exist only as prints purchased by collectors at the time.

Now, for the first time in more than forty years, these photos are published in one comprehensive collection that recovers this lost body of work. Suffused with a coy playfulness and a naïve vulnerability, these erotic images of men evoke a time of greater innocence but also of greater suppression, revealing much about gay history and the history of photography.

Customer Reviews:

The Male Ideal: .......2007-07-27

This is a great "underground" era of photography that needs more documentation & archiving. There is so much more to know and see of this age when things like this were forbiden - yet so popular.

In the Beginning: The Contributions of the Pioneer in Male Photography.......2006-10-31

Lon of New York (AKA Alonzo James Hanagan) is honored is this very beautifully designed and written book by Reed Massengill. Beginning with a fine foreword by Vince Aletti which summarizes Lon's position of importance in the field of photographing the male physique in a time when such photography was literally burned as pornography, Reed Massengill then takes us on a verbal and visual survey of the rather remarkable gifts of this important artist.

The pleasure of the book is not just the subject matter (though that is entertaining in and of itself) but rather in the chance to observe how male posing and male ideals have developed since the last century. Very often the body builders Lon of New York used as models are in the poses usually reserved for competitions. It is his taking those poses and pushing them a step toward art that makes them unique.

But credit Reed Massengill, one of our finest photographers of the male nude today, to mix the images so that there is little redundancy of stance: beefcake gives way to innocence and pride in the raw and the spectrum is admirable. This is not only a fine book to read and peruse, but it is also an important documentation for the world of art photography and especially for those many fine artists who are now making the images of the male nude a true art form. Recommended. Grady Harp, October 06

Beautiful then but not now!.......2006-10-25

Beauty seems to change. I have no doubt that the models were considered beautiful at the time the pictures were taken.

However, this is not the case when the pictures are viewed today.

You should not buy this book if you want to look at slim and beautiful males naked.

LUSCIOUS !!.......2005-08-09

This book will have your drooling. So incredible, it is almost edible...would that they were.

How Great Words Beautify Great Art.......2004-08-12

I was only expecting the photos to be revealing. But this book is so well written that the shots expose even deeper beauty. Photographic history can be so dry, but in this author's hands you are engaged. No longer are the photos just nude shots, but a dangerous moment captured between a man behind a camera and another very real person in front. Illegal in their day, the prints were an act of daring as well as art - but the extent of the daring and danger are only truly felt after reading the great text. This book is a joy!

Black: The African Male Nude in Art and Photography, Vol. 3

Average customer rating:

Still good but not as great as vol. 2.

Black: The African Male Nude in Art and Photography, Vol. 3

Manufacturer: Janssen Verlag
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Erotic Photography | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1919901264

Customer Reviews:

Still good but not as great as vol. 2........2007-02-18

I don't find the art in this book sensual or erotic. It is kind of monotonous and lifeless. The photos are good but not as great as those found in volume 2.

Average customer rating:

Surprisingly simple and interesting
Dull and Repetitious.
Not Just Your Usual Norton Anthology
NAKED IS NATURAL
Very interesting

Naked New York
Greg Friedler
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Erotic Photography | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0393316467

Book Description

In this unique and startling collection of photographic diptychs, we see average New Yorkers first clothed, then completely naked. Only their ages and professions are given as captions. Here we see all types of people, men and women of all shapes, ages, colors, and classes: investment banker, junkie, bookseller, closet queen, unemployed pregnant woman, actor, cashier, Harvard grad student, retired salesman, nanny, and security guard, among them. As diverse and unique as these individuals are, one can't help but be struck by the realization that the banker and the junkie are not all that different after all. On a basic level, we're all the same, human and vulnerable. Unlike traditional nude photography, these lack any overtly erotic or sexual quality; they are simply real people who reveal both their public (clothed) selves and their private (naked) selves. Friedler's approach is akin to the anthropologist. His work as a documentary photographer is an investigation into humanity, a survey and study of people. If clothing is a voluntary choice, unclothed we see people in an involuntary state--we see their bodies as we see their faces, unmasked. At once deeply intimate and surprisingly matter of fact, these images reveal more of our commonality than our differences.

Customer Reviews:

Surprisingly simple and interesting.......2005-08-06

I've ended up buying all the books in this series, and it's resulted in some interesting reccomendations popping up sometimes for me.... But this isn't a "nudie" book in my eyes. The books are all interesting conversation pieces amoung good friends, everyone finds them interesting. It's such a simple concept that we all wonder about!

Dull and Repetitious........2004-12-21

I was looking for Spencer Tunick's work, and somehow this book came up in the search instead. I wasn't careful enough looking at the description, comments, etc. So, I ended up buying it.

Aside from the disappointment of not getting what I was hoping for, I find this book rather boring and monotonous. Of course, this could have been author's intention to put all the subjects into a similar setting and underline the idea that these are ordinary people from the streets, however this doesn't make these images any more compelling or interesting for myself. I still find the book dull and repetitious. And it was twice the disappointment for myself.

Not Just Your Usual Norton Anthology.......2004-02-16

Greg Friedler succeeded in getting over 70 ordinary New Yorkers to pose for him, both clothed and naked, in this strange but intriguing book. The subjects are all photographed in the same fashion. They apparently showed up for the shoots wearing street clothes, were photographed in them and then photographed "naked." Friedler explains the difference between the words "nude" and "naked", and I think he is correct here. "As I see it, photographing someone naked is about trying to get at some kind of truth, whereas photographing someone nude is linked more to sexual gratification, eroticism, or our conventions of beauty." The subjects to a person all stand looking straight-on and unsmiling into the camera. They are all shot against an ugly brick wall and lit with unflattering, shadowless flat light. Ranging in age from 19 to 75, they are for the most part white with some black models and and a couple of what job applications might label "other." There is a pregnant woman, a grossly overwight woman, skinny folks, a breast implant or two, tall, short, et al. As the photographer says in his definition of "naked", there's not much pretty here. And being "naked" certainly is a great equalizer. A walk through a steam room or communal shower proves Mr. Friedler's theory of equality. All we know about the models is their occupations and ages. While there are a couple of upper income types here-- a pediatrician and an attorney, for instance, most of them are at the other end of the pay scale-- school bus driver and cashier-- to name two. Perhaps they had less to lose by baring their all. There are some occupations on the edge here, transexual karate instructor, porno star, prostitute, dream interpreter, closet queen-- whatever that means--junkie-- I thought that was a condition rather than an occupation--piercer's apprentice, erotic masseur. Then there is a limo dispatcher aka New York's most tattooed man.

While these photographs show the influence of both Richard Avedon and Diane Arbus, the differences are obvious. Avedon for the most part shot unsmiling celebrities looking straight into his camera against a white background. Friedler obviously goes one step further or several feet downward for the full monty here. Arbus apparently did some of her work without the cooperation or knowledge of her subjects, something she should have been ashamed of. Friedler, on the other hand, had the full cooperation of everybody concerned.

This book generates a lot of questions. How did Friedler select his subjects or weed out the bad apples, to mix a metaphor? (How could there be any bad apples in this 20th Century Eden shoot?) Age, sex, occupation and race must have entered into his decision but he doesn't tell us that. Could this project have been so successful in a much smaller, city or town, say Columbus, Georgia or Dayton, Ohio? Did the subjects tell their friends and family about their afternoon of exposure or wait to be discovered at the bookstore? Why did the models do this? Two or three models say why on the back cover of the book, and the photographer has some ideas on the subject as well. I suspect there may be as many different answers as there are people here.

What impressed me most about this book is that the Norton Company, that staid keeper of truth when it comes to college literature, is the publisher. That says volumes-- speaking of which, Mr. Friedler has done a similar work for LA and London. Lady Thatcher naked? Wouldn't it be great if Friedler could do a series like this for U. S. Senators or big city mayors or CEO's of big corporations? Imagine the books he would sell.

NAKED IS NATURAL.......2003-01-09

Friedler shows to fine effect in this book the contrasts between our public and private selves. I really appreciated what the 30ish woman (a brunette social worker) had to say about her reasons for posing. Kudos to her! Granted this book speaks to the voyeur in each of us. But it also shows how liberating it is to be naked and proud.

Very interesting.......2002-04-13

A lot of people would think this is quite a boring book, but I found it fascinating to see how much clothing changes someone's appearance. It just reinforces the idea that we're all naked under our clothes.

Lon of New York (American Photography of the Male Nude 1940-1970, Vol. 2)

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Lon of New York (American Photography of the Male Nude 1940-1970, Vol. 2)
Lon Of New York
Manufacturer: Janssen Verlag
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 3925443614

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Never Love a Naked P.I.
Elizabeth, Maynor
Manufacturer: Hard Shell Word Factory
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0759904510

Product Description

Amanda's well-ordered life as an up-and-coming New York executive is turned head over heels when she finds herself attracted to a handsome male artists model, who not only turns out not to be what he seems, but becomes the catalyst to plunge Amanda into a terrifying and life-threatening romantic adventure.

Average customer rating:

A treasure trove for artists

New York nude: A photographic essay
Charles R Collum
Manufacturer: Amphoto Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Dallas nude

ASIN: 0817450289

Customer Reviews:

A treasure trove for artists.......2004-02-16

This book is apparently no longer in print, but if you have an interest in painting, drawing, sculpting or photography of nudes, it absolutely belongs on your shelf. I stumbled on it completely by chance at a library used-book fundraiser sale, and can't believe my good luck.

Collum's sensitive and joyful treatment of his subjects exceeds anything I have seen of this sort. The people in these pictures, from a broad range of age and various races and stations in life, have in common that they seemed to understand and appreciate this photographer's desire to share with the world the glories of their (usually hidden) physical nature. The poses are often downright ingenious, and the faces as well as bodies reveal the photographer's ability to communicate without words all that each person might have wanted to say about him/her self, had words availed.

Book Description

A visual experiment by a number of New York artists - intoxicating!

New York City six years ago - a small group of fourteen young restless gay artists joined forces. Frustrated that the drawing courses on offer only had nude models in academic poses they decide to take matters into their own hands. Thus the QUEER MEN'S EROTIC ART WORKSHOP was born! In the following years the group expanded to almost 100 gay artists and their collaboration proved to be quite fruitful. Together they produced around 12,000 drawings - DIRTY LITTLE DRAWINGS.

This anthology is the outstanding result of this inspiring project. It is also a fascinating glimpse into New York's gay subculture on an impressive 320 pages. It's a very revealing book full of sexual tension and is a lovely slice of gay emancipation! This book will defi nitely make quite a splash!

Book Description

Whether in the wild or in captivity, our furry, scaly, and feathered friends exhibit an incredible determination to mate. Find out which animals engage in dance competitions, cannibalism, and intercourse that lasts for six months. Discover why lady weevils have a really hard time of it. And why the female Mormon cricket isn't offended when her partner insists on weighing her first. Marvel at the transgender clownfish, and gaze with envy at the humble barnacle and its remarkable sexual-organ-to-body-length ratio. In the world of animal sex there are apparently few traits or behaviors nature has deemed too bizarre to evolve.

How Animals Have Sex is hilariously informative, filled with breathtaking facts and astonishing color photographs. It will, above all, show you why you should never, ever try to explain sex by making reference to “the birds and the bees” - unless you want your kids to grow up thinking that it's normal to get aroused by balloons or to have your genitals explode half way through getting busy. You'll never look at Mother Nature the same way again.

Customer Reviews:

"Exploding Bee Genitals" would be a great name for a band!.......2006-10-15

Yeah, yeah, I know Dave Barry doesn't write his column any more, but when I read page 38, that's exactly what I was thinking!

Add an honorary sixth star for the cover, which had me laughing out loud right there in the library.

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