Form of Man explores the male form across art, photography, media and culture, looking at how men’s bodies have been seen, depicted and understood across different places and periods.
The series ranges from classical sculpture and historical art to photography, film, television, advertising and contemporary media. It looks at the ways the male body is presented, what is shown or concealed and how those representations have changed over time.
Through articles and interviews with artists, photographers, historians and others whose work involves the male form, Form of Man examines the choices behind these representations and the cultural attitudes that surround them.
The series also looks beyond art itself to the ways men’s bodies are treated in everyday culture, including nudity, modesty, privacy, sexuality, physical ideals and differences in how male and female bodies are represented. The aim is to document and examine how it has been portrayed and viewed.
THE MALE FORM THROUGH HISTORY
Read about its portrayal here