Men In The Dark

DARK IS ONE OF THOSE WORDS THAT HAS MANY ASSOCIATIONS AND MEANINGS. WHERE IT OFFICIALLY MEANS TO BE DEVOID OR PARTIALLY DEVOID OF LIGHT, DARK HAS A HIGH SYMBOLIC AND RELIGIOUS VALUE EVER SINCE THE WORD CAME IN USE SOMEWHERE BEFORE THE 12TH CENTURY. PIERRE-YVES MONNERVILLE APPROACHED THE CONCEPT OF DARK IN A WAY WE ALL KNOW VERY GOOD AS WELL: SENSUOUS AND EROTIC.

What do we think about when we say Dark: darkness in the sense of no light? Darkness in the meaning of evil and without soul? Or do we associate it with sensations of lust, mystic, secrecy and intimacy. Pierre-Yves Monnerville took that last approach with his Men In The Dark series: a stunning collection of photographs, displaying a beautiful man in – yes – the dark.

Pierre-Yves Monnerville, born in Martinique and currently living in Brighton, is one of these artists who are capable of taking an often every day concept and turn it into something beautiful. What we particularly like about Pierre-Yves’ work is that he rarely makes a photo that stands alone. Most of his work is shot in a sequence, and tells a story. His Diaries series are of course a great example of his talent. Pierre-Yves Monnerville has published three independent books – Journaux Intimes, Men and Diaries – all displaying his remarkable photographic talent. That and his gift in picking every day guys and turn them into sensible, sexual and erotic objects. Because Pierre-Yves seldom works with professional models. This, he believes, adds to the intimacy and sensuality of his work.

The nudes show here are part of the Men In The Dark series which we introduced to you already in December last year. For Pierre-Yves Monnerville this exercise is an attempt to tackle the preconceived idea that only the  female form is sensual and curvy. "I also wanted to prevent the viewers’ attention from focusing only on the face or whether a particular model is found attractive or not," the photographer explains. "The low key concept imposed itself naturally as it seemed the most erotic and evocative making it a lot easier to display and enjoy the male physics. The idea of interaction with the viewer is very important to me and each individual is invited to react with their own sensitivity. This is the reason why the men are barely recognizable. Hopefully those photographs portray more generic or universal male features rather than individuals." If dark means devoid of light, Pierre-Yves Monnerville proofs the opposite. His Men In The Dark photographs are a lighting example of male erotic art. –B-

Men in the Dark by Pierre-Yves Monnerville has recently been exhibited in a group exhibition at Pride In The House, London, UK.

BeautifulMag Archives for Pierre-Yves Monnerville: The World of Pierre-Yves Monnerville | Flirt Addict | Pierre-Yves Monnerville's Vision of Male Beauty | Pierre-Yves Monnerville's Diaries, Volume 1 | | Pierre-Yves Monnerville's Diaries, Volume 2 | Pierre-Yves Monnerville's Diaries, Volume 3.

PIERRE-YVES MONNERVILLE | BEAUTIFUL

Comments

[Steve]

Sometimes less is more. By photographing his models in the dark, Pierre-Yves Monnerville keeps some of their treasures hidden from view, leaving us curious about what we are missing, and longing to see more.

[MG]

More lighting please!