I'm in Love with My Car, Part 1 - Men Exposed

I was playing "A Night at the Opera" by Queen the other night, and the song "I'm in Love with My Car"  inspired today's series.  A snip from the lyrics:

                                                        The machine of a dream
                                                        Such a clean machine
                                                        With the pistons a pumpin'
                                                        Аnd the hubcaps all gleam

                                                        When I'm holding your wheel
                                                        Аll I hear is your gear
                                                        With my hand on your grease gun
                                                        Oooh, it's like a disease, son

                                                        I'm in love with my car
                                                        Got a feel for my automobile
                                                        Get a grip on my boy-racer rollbar
                                                        Such a thrill when your radials squeal

 

Obscured plate

For whatever reason, the license plate in this photo was either obscured or removed.

Fortunately, the two men are on full view.

 

Amateur . . . I hope

This grainy image has to be an amateur effort, but it does get its point across.

 

Odd Couple

Here we have one guy making a move on another who might be simultaneously caressing and humping the tail section of massively finned late 50s convertible land yacht. 

 

Nudist

This nudist seems proud of his car, although I suppose he might have also been proud of the not very attractive female that I cropped out of the picture.  Sorry, I had to say that.

 

I'm in Love with My Car, Part 2 - Men in Pants

We kick off the clothed half of our double feature with a 

young man admiring his own muscle while leaning against his car

 

Jimmy Dean

Here we see James Dean washing a car . . . no, not that car.

 

Group Effort

These young guys seem to be collectively involved in maintaining the car.

Albert the Gay Belgian will no doubt appreciate the guy with the most faded Levis.

 

Ontario Snorkeler and VW

This young Canadian obviously has two hobbies, snorkeling and polishing his black VW Bug.

 

Over the top

Everything about this photo is figuratively over the top except the tree,

and it's literally over the top of the second car.

 

Bush by Five

I get a lot of requests for bush type photos, and I'm happy to oblige.  Today we'll look at five models by five of the greatest physique photographers, starting with Don Silvas by Freddie Kovert.

 

Joe and Tom by Bob

We visit the infamous AMG shower for a twofer by Bob Mizer of Joe Napoli and Tom Short.

Photo compliments of James IV at: http://menfrombackthen.blogspot.com/  Thanks!

 

Paul by Dave

Paul Swenson was a college basketball player who posed for Dave Martin, and he has more going on than just the bush theme of this series.  Mr. Martin had a thing for college men.

 

Bill by Russ

Bill Logan was photographed by Russ Warner with a huge glass bottle.  I've noticed 

more than just a few photos from the same time that feature men with vases, 

crocks, and bottles of various types.  Must have been a thing for a while.

 

Tony by Bruce

Completing our set of five bushy models is Tony Segal by Bruce of Los Angeles.

 

Late 19th C., Part 1 - Italian Photographs

In the late 19th Century, the lives and work of Wilhelm von Pluschow, Wilhelm von Gloeden, 

and Vincenzo Galdi intersected in ways too complicated to adequately describe here. 

The seaside photo above is one of my personal favorites by von Gloeden. 

In a nutshell:  The German cousins moved to Italy separately where they took up 

photographing (and bedding) young men.  Galdi was a model who took up photography 

himself after having an affair with von Pluschow.  The Germans got separately kicked out 

of Italy for having sex with young men.  Then Galdi married a woman.  Confused yet?

 

Von Gloeden Derriere

This von Gloeden derriere is a classic pose.

 

Von Pluschow

Although he taught photography, Wilhelm von Pluschow's work was old school and not quite 

as sharp in style or technical quality as his cousin von Gloeden or his pupil Galdi.  This 

seaside photo of a pair of young men is pleasing enough on the eyes, though.

 

Uncertain

I've seen this excellent photograph attributed to both von Gloeden and Vincenzo Galdi.

Given the technical quality and lighting, I'm inclined toward Galdi.

 

Galdi

Vincenzo Galdi took this garden photo of a young man and a blanket in the 1890s.  Galdi had modeled for von Pluschow and studied photography with him.  When von Pluschow was charged with corrupting the morals of Italian youth in 1902, Galdi somehow escaped prosecution, despite working with the older man.  Galdi had his own legal problems later, but managed to continue his career.

 

Late 19th C., Part 2 - Studies by Kenyon Cox

Kenyon Cox (1856-1919) was born into a family of Ohio intellectuals and took up art at an early age.  He studied for a year at the Pennsylvania Acacemy of Fine Arts under Thomas Eakins' tutelage before moving to Paris to extend his studies.  He eventually became one of the most influential figures in late 19th and early 20th C. American art, contributing to and teaching in the areas of murals, paintings, illustrations, and mosaics.  He also wrote poetry on the side.  Today we will look at half a dozen of his male nude drawings.  His son Allyn followed in his father's footsteps, and his work has appeared on this blog on several occasions.  This is Kenyon Cox's second series.

 

Academic?

Most of the male nude drawings we have by Kenyon Cox are studies for larger works.

This one, however, has a definite academic feel to it, and it's quite good.

 

Mosaic study

Kenyon Cox got the commission to do a series of mosaic murals in the Wisconsin State Capitol 

depicting arts, sciences, and industries.  This is a study for one of those that I can only describe 

as a heroic nude artist.  Sad to say the final version isn't nearly as nice as this.

Disclosure:  I removed some severe yellowing from this and increased contrast.

 

There's an almost impressionistic feel to this drawing by Kenyon Cox.

Not surprising, given the era in which he did most of his work.

 

Color painting, but still a study

This color painting is listed on a number of art websites as simply "a male study."

I'm speculating here, but I believe it may have been for a patriotic mural that had

some wounded soldiers.  Both Kenyon and Allyn Cox did such works, and would

usually, but not always, put clothes on the final versions.

 

Rare derriere

Neither Kenyon nor his son Allyn Cox did very many derrieres, seemingly preferring to go full frontal with their male nudes.  So much for Victorian prudery.  Those scribbles in the background show up in several of Kenyon's pieces, and for some reason I find them interesting.

 

Almost faceless

Kenyon Cox didn't put a lot of effort into the face of this study for an unknown work.