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Title: Bodies: Boris Vallejo : His Photographic Art ISBN: 1-56025-158-1 Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.86 (7 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: because no one looks like that, right?
Comment: Boris Vallejo is well known for his fantasy art. Specifically for his incredibly muscular voluptous and scantily clad ladies. Although, he also is responsible for the incredibly buff males who wear just as little clothing (look for his work on Conan: the Barbarian)
Teamed with his wife, Julie Bell who is a body builder and accomplished artist in her own right (you will see many pictures of her nude in this book), the two have published tons of illustration books. These books attract all different fans, from those who just use them as soft porn to those who really appreciate the illustrative techniques, and fantasy enthusiasts of all sorts. Most people who looked at these books have to go at some point, usually in discust, THERE ARE NO REAL PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE THIS!
Well...um...I said that too, and looking at this photography, I have to munch those words. (Pass the ketchup?) The beautiful black and white photography of these incredible hardbodies proves that yes there are some real live people who really do look like fantasy superheros/heroines. (Except honestly, the breasts on the women are usually, but not always smaller, since breasts are mostly fat)
Then there is the irony of this book, in that we are being presented with larger than life looking bodybuilders, seemingly so perfect, but they are presented to us very candidly, with scars and freckles and body hair. It's wonderful. I think fans of Boris Vallejo will really appreciate this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: Illustrator AND Photographer
Comment: Most people who are familiar with Boris Vallejo's work know him as a fantasy illustrator. He is on of the best in his field, producing strong, graphic images of physically impressive people. I was surprised to discover that most often Vallejo works from life, or photographs of models.
Originally Vallejo used a professional photographer, but he became interested in photographer and began to do his own work. He brings to his black and white photographic images the same intensity that he uses in his illustration. No doubt due in part to his interest in body building Vallejo's perception of beauty is a bit different from the photographic norm.
Vallejo's women are not the slim ephemeral beauties that inhabit the fantasies of your average, slightly flabby, American male. These women are people to contend with, who hand swords and armor with the same facility we do Palm Pilots. Using these strong thewed yet remarkably sensual women (and men too) Vallejo creates images of refined quality with a startling sense of natural form and flow. They lack the excessive strain that sometimes appears in photos of body builders.
Vallejo uses medium format cameras to create images of extreme detail, and is unafraid to include the scars and bumps along with the lush sensuality of skin and hair. As such there is a dimensional effect which can be hypnotic. Some might quibble over whether this is fine art photography, but these are striking, unforgettable images.
Rating: 4
Summary: Robust, Beautiful Unadorned Bodies Form the Base of Fantasy!
Comment: This book contains many nude photographs done in ways that would cause the book to receive an R rating if it were a motion picture.
Boris Vallejo is well known for his fantasy illustrations of strong men and women. To create those illustrations, he often creates photographs of his models rather than having them pose for extended periods of time. This book contains many images that he has used for that purpose. For long-time Vallejo fans, part of the interest in this book will be seeing the models he was using. This allows you to see more clearly what Vallejo adds through selecting the models, posing them, and employing his illustration style.
Since these images were created as intermediary subjects, they do not have the usual focus on composition, lighting, or personality. As such, these vibrant people often come across like partially decayed statues done in marble by a long-deceased Roman or Greek sculptor.
The most interesting part of the photographs themselves is that they reveal aspects of the human form that you have probably not seen before. Most of the models are female bodybuilders (including Mr. Vallejo's wife and sister). Most of us have an image of what bodybuilders look like in a competition. These photographs are less extreme, taken when a model is usually not "pumped up" to competition shape and with less extreme poses. Because there is little use of filters (and no retouching that I noticed), these people reveal their warts and scars as well as their muscles. I found the contrasts to be fascinating. Rather than making the images less attractive, the contrast for me made the most beautiful sections of the model's body even more idealized. In many cases, it's a jaw line, or a neck, or part of the curve of the shoulder that draws your attention. But by being in very good shape, there's a lot of muscle that creates slightly exaggerated curves in many places against taut skin that makes for very appealing shapes.
In some situations, the models pose with all kinds of fantasy gear, including weapons. This actually enhances the contrasts in favor of seeing the person has more powerful -- to hold such a dangerous weapon while unclothed requires great self-confidence.
I also came away from this book having a greater appreciation for Mr. Vallejo's illustrations. They are much closer to real life than I would have ever imagined. I had always found them to seem exaggerated, and thus unfairly dismissed them as overdone. But his illustrations are not much more than an idealization of the real thing, as portrayed here.
I would normally tell you what my favorite images are from the book. Since there were no names, titles, dates, or page numbers, it is hard to reference them. From a photography perspective, the image of the pregnant woman was clearly one of the best. I found that his female photographs were more appealing than his male ones, probably because the models were less distorted by muscles. The women seemed healthy and vibrant, rather than muscle-dominated. But that's probably just a matter of personal taste.
After you finish this book, perhaps you should think about how you can use photography to help you accomplish important tasks in your life. Where would it help to have real-life models? Where can a photograph record reality better than any other method, including your memory? If you move 20 years into the future, what would you miss if you had not photographed it?
Be open to appreciating people and beauty in new ways!
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Title: Hindsight: Boris Vallejo-- His Photographic Art by Boris Vallejo ISBN: 1560252227 Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press Pub. Date: January, 2000 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
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Title: Mirage by Boris Vallejo, Nigel Suckling, Doris Vallejo ISBN: 1560253185 Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press Pub. Date: 09 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: Hard Curves: The Fantasy Art of Julie Bell by Julie Bell, Nigel Suckling ISBN: 156025131X Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1996 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Sketchbook by Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell ISBN: 1560254645 Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press Pub. Date: 01 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: Dreams: The Art of Boris Vallejo by Boris Vallejo ISBN: 1560252804 Publisher: Hyperion List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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