Athlete

In such uniquely visionary books as Water Dance, Pool Light, Passion & Line, and Nude Body Nude, Howard Schatz has established himself as one of the great photographers of the human form. Working primarily with dancers, Schatz has been particularly attracted to form shaped by function. Now, in Athlete, he reaches the zenith of his photographic paean to the human body, creating an astonishing record of the specialized forms both adapted to the wide spectrum of sport and shaped by fiercely focused effort. His subjects, as varied and meticulously documented as Audubon's birds, literally embody the astonishing array of physical perfection required for their particular sports. With a seamless blend of art and precision, Schatz shows us the awesome upper-body power of Olympic wrestling champion Rulon Gardner discus thrower Adam Setliff, and football player Joe Johnson; the lissome graces of high jumper Charles Austin and rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard; the shock-absorbing legs of downhill skier Daron Rahlves; the sculptural perfection of NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens and sprinter Sean Crawford; the compact muscularity of gymnasts Tasha Schwikert and Sean Townsend; the Giacometti-like slenderness of marathoners Tegla Loroupe and American marathon champion Deena Drossin; as well as 125 other athletes at the top of their games, In serene portraits and intricately dissected motion photographs, Schatz gives us an unprecedented celebration of the body as divine machine, and manages at the same time to present a collective view of the human spirit at its most intense.

The photographs of Howard Schatz are exhibited in museums and photography galleries internationally and are included in innumerable private collections. He has received international acclaim for his work and is one of the most sought-after photographers working today Athlete is the fourteenth book of photographs by Howard Schatz, His four most recent books are: the powerful and sensual study of the human body in Nude Body Nude; the richly humorous and playfully elegant Body Knots, which breaks new ground with its view of the body; Passion & Line, an arrestingly beautiful photographic profile of dancers; and Pool Light, the thrilling ensemble of underwater images that was featured in magazines around the world, including France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Russia, Israel, and Japan. His work has appeared in hundreds of publications, including Time, Vogue, Sports Illustrated, Life, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Elie, Harper's Bazaar, Forbes, Geo, Block & White, Stem, Amadeo, American Photo, and Entertainment Weekly

Schatz's editorial and fashion photography is seen regularly in the United States and abroad, and he has made extraordinary images for such advertising clients as Sony, Nike, Finlandia Vodka, Etienne Aigner, Target, MGM Grand Hotel, Virgin Records (the Janet Jackson music video "Every Time"), Dannon, Wolford Swimbodies, Pantene, Barely There, AT&T, IBM, Showtime, and Mercedes-Benz.

Each of Schatz's books is the result of a unique collaboration with award-winning producer and senior editor Beverly Ornstein, his wife and business partner, Together they live and work in New York.

These are beautiful bodies, to be sure, and Schatz so successfully has objectified many of these athletes that it seems certain that some of them did not recognized themselves in the finished photographs. The pictures must be seen, as words do not do them justice, not even those famous "1000 words" that a picture is said to be worth.

This book will appeal to anyone who admires the art of photography, and it also will interest anyone who has a love of sports.


BEST BODS in the BUSINESS   December 26, 2002
 1 out of 16 found this review helpful

I just LOVE those oily, muscular female babes!!


oh please....   November 23, 2002
 9 out of 13 found this review helpful

Clearly the writer of the previous review has an ideological---not aesthetic---agenda. I wish people like him would solve their own personality problems and stop venting on public forums such as the Amazon review board. It's misleading at best and malicious at worst. Schatz's book, far from portraying African-American men in a stereotyped or racist fashion, celebrates the beauty of the body and the extraordinary achievements that these world-class athletes have attained.


Maplethorpe Anyone?   November 20, 2002
 4 out of 65 found this review helpful

I think that it is time those African American men in general, and African American male athletes in particular begin to understand how exploitive society is of their seemingly innate misunderstanding of spectacle. The athletes represented in this current catalog of fetishized "black" bodies, does nothing more but create a deeper, wider and more fragile chasm for African American boys and men to line themselves up around as they wait for the next wave of desperation to overcome their sense of self. In their desire to fit into a culture that does not value them, African American boys and men can only aspire to occupy those positions in society where the dominant group allows for trangressive behavior of a disposable commodity. By allowing themselves to be photographed performing the scripts that are deemed acceptable, these African American male "Athlete(s)" do more harm than good. Would it be possible to show the humanity, intellect and/or demonstrated non entertainment abilities of each individual, as opposed to trying to portray some aspect of their cultivated authenticity?
Some would say that these ?Athlete(s)? are demonstrating their intellect, resistance and culture in how they perform. And yet, there are those individuals, most of which I am in full agreement with, recognize that the cost of portraying the ideal African American male as presented in this catalog, emphasizes that which has been emblematic of the African American presence on the North American continent since the founding of the country. The fact that the body is emphasized today as much as it was in century?s past(s), leads one to believe that there has been but a small degree of epidermal change that cannot influence the skeleton infrastructure that it covers.


a perfect 10   October 29, 2002
 10 out of 11 found this review helpful

As a broken-down athlete, as a live-long sports fan, and as a collector of photography, Howard Schatz has led me to a completely new window through which to view these varied and remarkable competitors and, by extension, a greater awareness of the human character, potential and spirit. Through his lens, we see the indomitable discipline and will to achieve with the undeniable beauty of form, action and individual expression. There is an almost Greek-like reference to the human ideal, but Mr. Schatz takes us above and beyond the past. He shares with us examples of achievement through certain athletes that, on quick glance, might not be appreciated at the periphery on the fields of competition, and life. Moreover, Mr. Schatz suggests deeper, universal human aspirations and character available to us all. Well, enough of these NY Times-like review. I mean every word of it but I conclude by simply saying, enthusiastically, "Wow. " This is powerful and beautiful and moving stuff. Alan Davis, MD Dallas, Texas