Moss Roberts photographed by James Bidgood.
I missed this back in January, a great version of the Flandrin pose by James Bidgood, the justly-celebrated beefcake photographer and director of that micro-budget masterwork of gay erotica, Pink Narcissus (1971). The photo was part of a feature commissioned by Out.com which asked notable photographers to present a contemporary take on the Physique Pictorial style. Bidgood’s pictures strike me as the best of the bunch but then I’m biased, having recently bought Taschen’s republication of their splendid book of Bidgood photos from the 1960s. Luscious and kitsch, and—if you’re a fan of Bobby Kendall—highly recommended.
Via VMP.
Elsewhere on { feuilleton }
• The recurrent pose archive
Previously on { feuilleton }
• Let’s get physical: Bruce of Los Angeles and Tom of Finland
• The Male Gaze
• James Bidgood
All gay erotica is better in Technicolor. Have you seen Were the World Mine? The dream sequences are certainly influenced by Bidgood, even if it’s via Pierre et Gilles.
Heyhey John, thanks for the post. I first encountered Bidgood’s Pink Narcissus in 2001, instantly thought it was a classic. Then I came across the Taschen book in the library of my old art school.
Great artist, if he’d been treated better by the studio, ( unlikely, I know) Narcissus could’ve gone even further and we might have got another film from him!
Evan: No I haven’t but anything like that would certainly gain my attention. Pierre et Gilles owe a great deal to Bidgood’s work. I may have mentioned before that Guy Maddin’s Twilight of the Ice Nymphs has a similar sparkling veneer, albeit without the naked men. Technicolor is precisely what Bidgood had in mind since it was his original intention to work for Hollywood. Tinsel Town’s loss is our gain.
Hi Ross. I don’t mind there only being the one film, he threw all his energy into creating it and considering the lack of resources it’s remarkable as a technical feat alone. As with Kenneth Anger’s lost or abandoned films, what we’re left with becomes all the more precious.
That Taschen book is great, I was recently surprised to receive it in the mail—from Tula! (whorange.net) At any rate, I love it! It’s so nice to see those pictures in a larger format than little internet pics!
Yes indeed. Also makes me wish that Pink Narcissus had been filmed in 35mm…