From ancient myths to contemporary art, images evoking the natural world have been mostly associated with the female body. For centuries, poets and painters have created allegories and symbolisms that compare female fertility with the green buds that rise from fertile earth. They’ve also paired female beauty with the delicacy of fragrant flowers that bloom in the spring. Even the sweetness of a woman’s personality has been directly compared to the fragile softness of leaves and petals.
In contrast, men’s bodied have been commonly associated with symbols that represent strength and courage, such as wild animals or elements like fire. Regarding aesthetics, there has been less concern for the male body, compared to the constant representations of the female body. Does that mean art cannot depict men with delicacy and gentleness? The representations of what is considered male and female have also been perpetuated through art, and only few artists have tried to approach masculinity and femininity through a new vision that breaks with old narratives.
Austrian Photographer Manuel Esthaem is one artist that has looked at the male body from different angles in order to create new representations of it. The artistic work of Esthaem focuses primarily on capturing the naked body to uncover and also contrast ideas about human identities and sexualities. While he has recently started incorporating color, most of his portfolio (including the images shown here) consists of monochromatic images shot on black and white film.
These photos compose Esthaem’s 2015 collection Somos. The purpose of this project is to show men’s identity and intimacy as something beautiful by deconstructing preconceived notions about masculinity and femininity. The naked bodies of his models are partially hidden by the environment or the camera frame. This focus allows the spectator to see the body as part of the background or landscape.
These images have managed to uncover that vulnerability and fragility men have been forced to suppress. The male body is also presented as a nude figure that does not need to display his genitals in full view. The notion of fragility provides these bodies with a gentleness that tears apart the stereotypes and symbolism of male strength that have defined men throughout history.
The anonymity of these photos helps the spectator forget any prejudice and identify with the displayed body. Thus, we are then able to examine our own identity and the way they define themselves. These images are visual poetry,taking us into a cold, somber atmosphere where mesmerized characters bond with nature and their own vulnerability.
These esthetic images are windows to a totally reconstructed reality. We don’t need focus on old connotations of masculinity anymore. Now, they have merged with nature and become one more element capable of sustaining life.
Until we learn to look at our bodies from a different perspective, we will not be able to break free from all those stereotypes and labels society has endorsed for centuries. These works of art show a change in mentality that little by little is creating a new discourse on the body and human identity.
Manuel Esthaem’s work has been exhibited in different parts of the world, as well as published in numerous online and print publications. If you want to know more about it, don’t forget to check out his website.
Sources:
Scene 360
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Translated by Andrea Valle Gracia
