NEWS
Real, Hot and Gay: The Images of Tom Bianchi
Photo Credit: Tom Bianchi
At 28, he was a high-powered attorney at Columbia Pictures with no formal training in photography. Then Tom Bianchi began snapping pictures of the gay haven Fire Island as a "political act," he says, because "at the time there was a great deal of prejudice and misunderstanding and confusion [toward the gay community], and I thought that showing the beauty of our world would help other people find their way to it, and would dissipate some of the animosity in the world toward us."
Now, more than 30 years later—with 12 books under his belt (including "Out of the Studio," "Men I've Loved," "On the Couch," and his latest, "Deep Sex"), as well as three film documentaries inspired by his work—the 60-year-old Bianchi has become as legendary as his images, which have not only moved and aroused us, but have also represented us to the deepest degree possible.
In his talk with RealJock, the master photographer blasts "gay" iconography of the past, gives us his definition of "porn," and shares some of his most striking work.
How would you characterize your style?
If you look at my earlier images you'll see that I needed to demonstrate to the art world that I knew how to take that "perfect moment" picture, the classic nude. The first efforts in photography as art were to imitate art or sculpture, to try to make photographs that looked like art.
My jumping-off point into my own style came about because of a famous Herb Ritts photograph— it was an image of a hunky guy in overalls, and he was holding a pair of tires. I saw that picture as emblematic of everything wrong going on at the time. He was on the short side, so they put blocks of wood underneath his legs to make him look taller. They used fake grease to make him look like a gas-station guy, and from what I heard on the street he was straight. But he became a gay iconic figure.
When I saw that image being held up and worshipped as fine art, I thought, How awful—to worship the unavailable. Bruce Webber, too—he was mostly photographing straight boys that he couldn't have.
Now, more than 30 years later—with 12 books under his belt (including "Out of the Studio," "Men I've Loved," "On the Couch," and his latest, "Deep Sex"), as well as three film documentaries inspired by his work—the 60-year-old Bianchi has become as legendary as his images, which have not only moved and aroused us, but have also represented us to the deepest degree possible.
In his talk with RealJock, the master photographer blasts "gay" iconography of the past, gives us his definition of "porn," and shares some of his most striking work.
How would you characterize your style?
If you look at my earlier images you'll see that I needed to demonstrate to the art world that I knew how to take that "perfect moment" picture, the classic nude. The first efforts in photography as art were to imitate art or sculpture, to try to make photographs that looked like art.
My jumping-off point into my own style came about because of a famous Herb Ritts photograph— it was an image of a hunky guy in overalls, and he was holding a pair of tires. I saw that picture as emblematic of everything wrong going on at the time. He was on the short side, so they put blocks of wood underneath his legs to make him look taller. They used fake grease to make him look like a gas-station guy, and from what I heard on the street he was straight. But he became a gay iconic figure.
When I saw that image being held up and worshipped as fine art, I thought, How awful—to worship the unavailable. Bruce Webber, too—he was mostly photographing straight boys that he couldn't have.
rocky69 wrote:
hi nice ass can u send more photo
my email bedrock08@hotmail.com
Jan 06 8:58 AM
dick1985 wrote:
nice photos :)
Nov 23 2:22 PM
water_eye wrote:
coooooooooool, very so good pictures , thank u and go on also i want to thank real jock for every thing.
Nov 19 1:16 AM
Sk8erboiii wrote:
Wow Nice Sexy Hot Pics
I Like All Of Them
Soo Hot.....
Nov 18 9:41 AM
Phalo18cm wrote:
good pics, congratulations
Nov 18 2:00 AM
Superd47 wrote:
I liked these photos and found them to be the best I have seen in the male physique. Hope to see move great photos by Mr Bianchi in the nere future.
Nov 16 11:14 PM
maturemsclbldr wrote:
Let me tell you all, Mr. Bianchi is THE BEST imagers of the male physique. Being a bodybuilder, I'm always facinated with the different body types, stages of fitness (off-season vs. ripped) and how the image of that man can be distorted and/or embelished. The "staged" male image is so stagnant, which again, distorts the true image of the man. Mr. Bianchi seems to bring out the "man inside" instead of the stereotypical body that has made erotic art so limited and not sociallyl acceptable.
I have everything that has been published by Mr. Bianchiii and am proud to display it to dispell the image of male art as "taboo". Thank you.
Nov 16 6:12 PM
warmdude20 wrote:
tom u did a teerific job to instill the confidence and enthusiasm in older men, the uncompared. you get involved with your model gives him an ease and free attitude to give u the best and superb angles.you rightly said angles are important as that makes a picture art or porn. ther lies the core difference.your works are excellent and unmatched.at this age the energy in u makes young like us feel inferior.
Nov 16 7:10 AM
paulv wrote:
i think tom has done some beautiful work in the past, but for me visually, aesthetically & artistically his work is too often repetitious and mediocre. i do not find his new work erotic or creative. i often wonder what he see's in his images. obviously he shoots goodlooking men, but how he captures them to me is not that interesting. i think he is over rated in the gay community. it would be nice to see him pushing his imagery beyond just capturing only the physical beauty that he shows us. i think he has some interesting concepts and ideas about sexuality and i admire him more for this than for his images. he is an artist because of the way he lives his life, we are all creative in some way. herb ritts did some amazing work in the 70's and 80's and burnt out commercially. bruce weber made the modern male image an acceptable sexual icon in mainstream america. (he was and is clever but his work is also repetitious). who cares what the sexuality of the model is, its more about their sexual energy, for me...
i can agree somewhat with tom's qoute about pornography or any "ography" or imagery... but it is more than just angles. its also about imagination, a concept, lighting, design and on and on.....(the more the better!)
creative artists need to break away from what they are comfortable with and explore the moment and take that extra step and risk the unknown. too much exceptable art is BORING and predictable... (mapplethorpe pushed the limit, his work was simple yet strong, erotic and bold)
unfortunately most viewers relate to what they are comfortable with. even gay men, who sadly tend to be more conservative in many more ways than they are willing to admit. thus mediocrity becomes the trend, the style and it succeeds... there are too many talented artists that no one has ever seen or heard of!
good on you guys for thinking: slapdash and chesty bond....its so refreshing to hear comments with opinions, no matter what they are.
tom keep shooting. BUT DO SOMETHING
Nov 16 5:41 AM
beef wrote:
Tom Bianchi, beautiful work. Many thanks...
Nov 15 9:47 PM
rksportswear wrote:
Compassion, Friendship and Love are captured in many these shots by Bianchi, now, what is wrong with that? Real Jock we would love to see more!
Nov 11 8:00 PM
slapdash wrote:
oh,Chesty Bond,lighten up.I suspect your description of the models as boring is code for "old".As for "soft core",Bianchi seems to be more concerned with showing love rather than sex.Mapplethorpe,r.i.p.,programmed us to look for excess and, as much as I like him,confirmed for much of the straight world that us queers were indeed the sex-obsessed pervs they always said we were.If you mean Annie Leibovitz, what's not to like?Bruce Webers' fawning and drooling over straight boys always annoyed me and since the first time I ever saw it,that embarrassing Ritts picture of the guy with the tires has struck me as the old-queens'-white-cadillac of photographs.I'm quite pleased with Mr. Bianchis'more tender approach, and Kilos' comment gives it all the importance it deserves.
Nov 11 3:59 AM
chesty_bond wrote:
The images and subject matter/messages are very average. There is no distinctive or individual style and the models are posed and boring. The photography floats between soft core porn (very soft core as there is nothing overtly sexy or pushing of boundaries) and amateur "gay holiday" pics. To think these images are held in high respect - they can't even compare to the artistic beauty and smouldering sexual tension in Von Gloeden's, Mapplethorpe's, Leibovitz, Weber's and Ritt's work. Sorry - nothing here that deserves any special mention.
Nov 11 12:39 AM
josm wrote:
BEAUTIFUL,,,, all of them: guys and pictures.
THANKS for sharing such a great master pieces collection. JOSM
Nov 11 12:32 AM
kilo wrote:
I remember finding _Out of the Studio_ when I was very young, maybe 10, in a small Vermont Bookstore. It was an intense experience, but just knowing that such a book could exist was reassuring--and mouth watering.
Nov 10 7:34 PM