The art of Bill Travis is full of soft shadows and blurred edges. But underneath the soft grainy images and dappled sunlight, there is no mistaking the sensual hard edges of the male nude.
Travis uses a transfer technique and works over his photographs in a variety of mediums to create images which are rich with layers of texture and color.
Travis breaks down his male subjects into four categories- ‘Shadows’, ‘Dreamers’, ‘Desire’, and ‘Ancient and Modern’. In each series he explores a particular idea or subject. Yet all of his works are bound together both by his distinctive artistic technique and the play of light and dark and the presence of shadows. His models seem consistently languid in their expression, even when sexually engaged.
It would be a mistake to suggest however, that the softness takes away from the masculinity of the work. Travis manages to capture the soft and sensual side of the male form without sacrificing it, something I have rarely seen. More often the male form is celebrated for its hardness and its strength. It is rare to see an artist who manages to capture the softer underbelly of the masculine without emasculating it- still managing to capture that male hardness while revealing the delicate softness underneath.
article by Kayla
