In The Homoerotic Photograph, Allen Ellenzweig reminds us that photography has persistently captured the male gaze upon other men. Gathered here are 127 beautiful and provocative duotone photographs that reflect the wide-ranging history of the male homoeroticism as revealed by the camera -- amply suggesting spiritual, physical, and intellectual exchange between men. To accompany these images, Ellenzweig offers a detailed account of the multiple and complex meanings of the homoerotic, from the 1850s to today.Each artist is placed in historical context, with chapters devoted to specific photographers and eras, beginning with the male nude studies created by nineteenth-century French photographer Eugene Durieu under the direction of painter Eugene Delacroix, taking us all the way through the rebellious sixties and the disputes surrounding Robert Mapplethorpes controversial retrospective in 1989 and 1990. Ellenzweig demonstrates that the homoerotic in photography is hardly a contemporary invention. Photographers across the stylistic spectrum share a common heritage of homoeroticism in photography, which serves to inspire spiritual, physical, and intellectual ideals.
