Art Institute of Chicago

Male Nude

Wilhelm von Gloeden

Date

1890

Medium

Albumen print

Culture

Germany

Department

Photography and Media

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Suffering from lung disease, Wilhelm von Gloeden moved to Taormina, on the island of Sicily, at the age of 22 on doctor’s orders. After having regained his health, he remained on the island and began making photographs of the idyllic landscape as well as the young male inhabitants, both of which suggested to him a classical ideal. While the nudity of his models—young peasants, shepherds, and fishermen—was quite uncommon in von Gloeden’s native Germany, it was unremarkable for the island youths of Sicily and Southern Italy. Despite von Gloeden’s genuine interest in classical art, such references also provided an aesthetically acceptable way to explore his private, erotic fascination with the male body.

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