There is an essence of pure masculinity behind all of Ulli Richter’s photographs (except of course, for the very few of women). Richter’s work straddles a fine line between pornography, art, and documentary. There’s no escaping the explicit aspects of Richter’s work, but it is how he presents it, and the moments that he captures that make it more than simple pornography.
Richter’s work falls into two categories on his website- portraiture and play scenes. The scenes that he captures are real interactions between real players- and this is where the documentary aspect of his work comes in. He is a talented cameraman and the photos he takes are composed well within the frame. These are not posed moments but rather captured momentary snapshots from actual engagements.
There is something about male sexuality and eroticism, as seen through the eyes of a man that is not as common in popular culture than the other permutations of gender and eroticism. Richter’s work showcases a large, but under represented interest group. Add to that, his focus on fetish and leather culture, and the popular exposure of his chosen subject matter drops even more. His men in their shiny leather, boots, and uniforms are the real life embodiment of figures like those from Tom of Finland. But unlike those cartoons, these are real men, in the flesh. Lots of hard, muscled flesh. Go have a look.
Article by Kayla
