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The Image Physique Logo embodies a pun on the word EYE which in English is pronounced like the personal pronoun and also corresponds to the letter I in IMAGE. I am very much interested in the image of the eye because of my experiences. When I was a child I lost the vision of my right eye and as an adult I detached retina which endangered the sight of the left. I am very nearsighted and am developing cataracts. My camera can be thought of as having a single eye which looks at and records the world. The EYE in the logo is an Egyptian version often depicted in ancient art works called the Eye of Horus. This eye is looking at the male physique as embodied by the flexed biceps. The image of the man on the home page is gazing upward or inward (often with his eyes closed) while the eye is peering outward with implacable serenity. The magenta glow surrounding the text, arm, and eye symbolizes the warmth and energy of life. Vitality, vigor and virility are things that make life interesting and worth savoring.
Of course the ARM represents the PHYSIQUE. The arm has always symbolized strength, and masculine virtue. The victorious athlete instinctively raises his arms above his head in celebration; the most impressive bodybuilder's pose is the Double Biceps. The right arm extended in a friendly handshake is a token that no weapons are present. There is a warlike connotation since our word ARM is derived from ARMA which in Latin means weapon. We use this connection even today when we talk of an "arms race" or say somebody is "armed to the teeth". The poet Virgil wrote: Arma Virumque cano ... "I sing of arms and the man..." I have always enjoyed the fortuitous pun that English allows in regard to the word arm.
My photography attempts to combine what my eye sees of masculine virtue and physical strength to produce an object of beauty: a photograph. These photographs are intended to honor the man by depicting him as a valuable human being who combines physical, mental, emotional, and moral strength. A man's physical strength and physical beauty go hand in hand as masculine virtues but beauty is as beauty does. Actions are more important that mere beauty, and right actions can enhance the beauty of any man. These virtues can be augmented by his sense of humor, his playful energy, his exuberant health and his sexual vitality. The Latin root of our word "virtue" is vir which means male, thus virtue embodies masculine traits in the very meaning of the word.
Each page has a quotation relating to vision or the eye. The default text type face is Arial and Anastasia is used for graphic text effects while the logo and all the graphics on the site were made with Paint Shop Pro by JASC, an excellent graphic arts program which is easy to use and much cheaper than the Adobe program. |
