The comfort of nostalgia and bewilderment of beauty. | Gymnasium

oh - to be a boy again! | Gymnasium | Luke Smalley

books:


	• Gymnasium Luke Smalley Twin Palms Publishers, 2001 - 168 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Wistful Humor

Since receiving Luke Smalley's Gymnasium I have returned to it a number of times. Each time I have been rewarded with a sense of discovering something new. The beauty of the images is not because the subjects are necessarily conventionally handsome or sexual (in fact it is clear throughout that the book is not about any kind of sexual prurience). The beauty comes both from Luke Smalley's technique and from the honest and direct portrayal of the young men in the pictures. It also comes from the bittersweet emotions from those (historic and transient) moments in the lives of boys. The turn-of-the-century nostalgia in the outfits and equipment mirrors the wistfulness of the irreversible developmental surges taking place in these boys. The beauty also comes from the humor that makes change and loss bearable. Luke Smalley deserves a great deal of credit in making us this gift.

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The comfort of nostalgia and bewilderment of beauty.

Luke Smalley's photographs are of (mostly) barechested high school athletes, dressed in antique athletic wear and often interacting with antiquated fitness equipment. The theme of nostalgia is firmly established by Smalley's reiteration of the past by sepia toning the images, using old time photographic vignettes and lighting techniques similar to those used by photographers in the earlier half of the 20th century.
The images presented in Gymnasium are reminiscent of a Bruce Weber project in many respects. While Weber often makes the kind of commercial prattle unleashed in his ever popular softcore Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs, he sometimes comes through with profound work, as he did with the magnificent five star "The Chop Suey Club," Arena Editions, 1999. Weber too finds his muse in the beauty of young men, athletes in particular.
Weber often avoids commercial slickness by using spontinaety and organic environments, while at the same time embracing a classic perfectionism not unlike that of Robert Mapplethorpe or Herbert List - a balance that often leaves his editorial and celebrity work looking prosaic, but gives his personal work the focus and intensity demonstrated by a true master at the top of his game.
Smalley, as well, constructs, or finds, spare sets which help depict his vision of an idyllic arcadia. His invention allows the viewer to imagine what he imagines, a past that perhaps existed, perhaps not. While the images may be loose, often casual and playful, the project as a whole is tight. Smalley doesn't loose his focus for an instant, while finding variety within his formal strategy.
Smalley doesn't seem to care that much about the perfect craftsmanship of the picture as an object by today's standards. Even at 8x11 inches, the pictures are a quite grainy b&w, think tri-x 35mm ( though I have know idea what Smalley's actual camera format is). Like the work of Larry Clark, it is about the kid first.
It is the moment of serene connection between the photographer and the object of beauty which imbues the photographs of Luke Smalley with a fierce vitality.
The forward suggests a vision of a past where the often erotic obviousness of the images to come is removed or dispelled via "the innocence of the times" they portray reorientation. This Whitman-esque romantic notion of rugged male perfection and youthful beauty has been voided by the cynicism of our time - that seems to be the true message of Gymnasium.

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oh - to be a boy again!

The moments from Luke Smalley's insightful and compelling photo essay could easily have been captured at the turn of the century. If it weren't for the book's brief introduction - we would all be easily fooled. Mr. Smalley (who I hope we hear from again very soon) manages to take us back to another time - one not so complicated compared to the complexities of today's modern day lifestyle, where we can easily escape ourselves in the memory of our youth. He also manages to capture an innocence in these young athletes that reminds you of Bruce Weber's early work - you just say to yourself: "Where did he find them - And how did he get them to pose like that!!" This really is a terrific book and I'd recommend it to friends, as well as strangers.

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Innocence of Youth!

It is a world of good-looking model boys, that are innocent yet sensual, and they have been immortalized by Mark Twain, and celebrated by the famous photographers such as Bruce Weber and Greg Gorman. Now we have Luke Smalley who takes it a step further. He has spent 10 years recreating these athletic images of an innocent and bygone era that was once called All American, way before the nation lost its innocence. This is an outstanding collection of teenage athletes, residents of Pennsylvania towns, who Smalley has posed throwing footballs, wrestling, leaping over hurdles and performing gymnastics. That Twin Palms published this book for Smalley is an added bonus, for it is beautifully designed and bound. The black and white photos are superbly reproduced here.

Smalley has accomplished what he set out to do, capturing the innocence of youth, a vision of the past, and the masculine youthful beauty of young men at the peak of their athletic ability. This is an outstanding book that should be on every collectors list!

Joe Hanssen

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reviews: page 1, 2

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