Herbert List

Herbert List (1903-1975) was a fairly well known German 20th Century magazine photographer.  On the side, he did some noteworthy male nude work that we'll look at today.  I find the lighting in this 1950s photo of showering Hamburg industrial workers to be very interesting.

 

Munich 1946

Herbert List spent his World War II service as a map designer in Norway, a very safe assignment.

When it was all over, he returned to Munich where he photographed this very symbolic photo of a fallen Nazi statue of a perfect Aryan male specimen outside a bombed out museum.

 

Alexander im Wald

I find myself wishing that List had done more work along the lines of this fine photograph of a young man in the forest.  It has a subtlety that contrasts with most of his better known pieces.  I've only been able to find one other like it, and I think it was the same model on the same day.

 

Edouard

Herbert List took some memorable photos of Jean Cocteau's lover Edouard Dermit.

I think the art may be Cocteau's version of Polyphemus getting his eye poked out.

We'll see more of this large mural in a later post today.

 

Factory Workers II

This expertly photographed  work even manages to catch the individual water droplets as they fly.

List did a whole series of these shower scenes in the late 1950s.

 

List photographed this statue in the Tuileries Gardens on a visit to Paris in 1936.

 

Edouard Again

There is a cropped version of this List photo circulated that focuses more on Edouard Dermit's 

fine body.  As much as I like him, I prefer the full version showing Cocteau's art.

 

 An excellent German photographer named Herbert List made a series of photos of young industrial workers in the showers in the 1950's.  This is from the Phoenix Gummiwerke near Hamburg, 1954.

Herbert List, 1903-1975 - Part 2

List became well known for his work in Italy and the entire Mediterranean region, 

and this photo of a young man with a Roman statue is one reason.

The Isle of Capri in 1955 was the setting for this List image.

Youth with a Mirror is from 1931.

List made a number of homoerotic photos in Italy in the 1950's that became quite inflluential among later photographers.  This is a good example of the type.

This 1935 List photo shows a nude model looking 

at some Nazi approved art in a Munich museum.

Herbert List, 1903-1975 - Part 1

Herbert List was an excellent German photographer whose best known work was in the magazines of his time.  He did, however, produce some homoerotic work which will be the subject of today's double feature.  Here is a link to his interesting biography on Wikipedia:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_List

Alexander in the Woods is from 1956.

The lighting sets this 1933 photo apart.

List did a whole series of young German industrial workers showering in the postwar period.

This one has restrained nudity, but the interaction of the men and the water is interesting.

Edouard Dermit, the lover of Jean Cocteau, is the subject of this 

List photo made in 1948 at Cocteau's country house.

Tunisia in 1935 is the setting for this List photo.

Herbert List took this photo of Greek artist Yannis Tsarouchis and his model in 1949.  The artist appears to have more than just a professional appreciation of the model's body.  Just look at his eyes.