'We could float among the stars together, you and I
For we can fly, we can fly'
The 5th Dimension
Over the decade plus of working on FH, there have been various visual themes I've connected with. FH readers are aware of my love of the use of windows, mirrors, staircases and doors within images of the male form. Each of these elements are ones which I identify with and each represents something I've experienced, loved, fought or struggled with within my own life.
Roofs are another matter. I have featured many models from Richard Rothstein shot on the roof of New York his building. Generally, I focus on the views, both on, and surrounding the model and roof. There is no better backdrop for an image of the male form than the Manhattan skyline, especially when that form is the beautiful Able Rey. Somehow however, I think maybe I've bypassed the powerful symbolism of the location. The strength and pride of a strong, yet vulnerable naked man, standing tall, looking down upon, as if ruling over one of the greatest cities in the world.
I think my overlooking the main theme of roof comes from a lack of exposure. Growing up, we always lived in split levels, without much height. We did live in a home with a flat roof for a few years, but I was never allowed on it. My father would up in the winter and shovel off snow, but before I got even a few feet up the latter, my mother was yelling at me to get off from the kitchen window.
When I needed empowerment, I usually escaped to the woods. If I couldn't rule over a metropolis, a forest would have to do. In the woods, I was in charge, and my view was usually looking down over a lake, or an endless stretch of evergreens. The more time I spend on Richard' roof however, the more I long for such a space to recharge and release. It's not as cool now that I'm adult to go running and skipping through the woods, not that I don't still do it from time to time....
'The roof is my world away from the world. It’s an escape, a secret garden where I can realize my fantasies against the backdrop of the city that lives in my DNA. For me the nudes I do on this roof are about pride, freedom and a declaration of victory over the closet and homophobia.'
It was interesting to me that it was Abel's red balloons that helped bring clarity to the roof theme. I love colorful balloons, and their ability to fly up, up and away, gliding peacefully through the sky, slowly out of view. Balloons have been apart of many pieces on the site, including one of my earliest pieces featuring Richards work, (Blown) from back in 2012,
Check out more of Able, on the roof but minus the balloons, on PAGE 2 HERE:
(You may even see who owns that second set of hands in the image below...)
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