<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Bohemian Madonna in her early New York dance days
Review: As a former dancer myself (ballet, jazz, tap, modern, African), I know that the body is seen in a different context to the dance artist than to the general public. To the general public it would seem that nudity, or any display of the body in a revealing outfit (unitards, leotards, tights, etc.), has immediate sexual connotations. This is not the case in the dance world. I believe it is therefore important to keep that in mind when looking at these pictures: this is from the era of Madonna's career when she was still a modern dancer, at times studying with Martha Graham and at the Alvin Ailey school, and therefore these are art pictures and are not pornographic in any sense (in Martha Graham's own autobiography, BLOOD MEMORY, she published some nude studies of herself when she was in her mid 30s). Madonna had an incredible and unique body back then. It is different from the body she currently has because it bears the markings of dance training: strong and well developed legs, somewhat less developed upper body; the Madonna of late seems to have the arms and shoulders of an amateur body builder. The Madonna in this book, in her very early 20s at the time, is also incredibly thin and has the notoriously un-"kept" arm pits (she had said she was trying to be European). Mr. Schreiber's photography is beautiful and captures her perfectly. The reason I give this book only four stars, however, is because of the sense of dishonestly I felt from the photographer. In the preface to the book he claims to be something of a Madonna admirer and portrays himself as something of a "champion" of this incredible woman; even though I admire his work, it is quite evident that he has now crossed the line from "champion" to "exploiter" (would this book have been published had Madonna not gone on to become the huge superstar she is today?).
Rating:
Summary: Very tasteful look at early Madonna
Review: In the foreword, Martin Schreiber, then a struggling photographer in NYC, describes a young model who entered his studio on 12 February 1979 and for a short time, posed for him. That model was Madonna Louise Ciccone. Some of those photos ended up in the September 85 Playboy, after Like A Virgin exploded over the face of pop. Schreiber describes this book as "a celebration of the human form, a dedication to an innocent, determined young woman, and to all figure models." Given the photos that were shot, I'd concur. $30 for three hours, as the consent form signed by her says. Well, that three hour session yielded some really tasteful b&w photography, the highlights of which are blown up for this book. The last pages show the safety film of the complete sessions. This particular form, done in various lighting and shadows, is quite appealing and artful. One full frontal shot of her, spanning 8 through 8A on the safety film, with the head cut off, would make an excellent Greek or Roman statue. The frontal sphinx-like crouching shots of her are nice. A striped cat is crouched inbetween her arms. The next shot, the cat is gone, she is in the same position, and there's a view of her pubic hair in shadows. The cat comes out in two other shots of her, including the book cover photo. BTW, Madonna isn't smiling in these shots but maintains a dignified expression throughout. Think about it though. These were taken in 1979, years before Like A Virgin, MTV, Sean Penn, Blonde Ambition, Evita, and the bogus British accent she has now affected. Often times, early activities by an actor or singer (think Sylvester Stallone) reveals some embarassing moments, but this isn't one of them, as the Certain Sacrifice movie was. No, years from now, Madonna can look through these pictures and remember the simpler times. P.S. I wonder if the cat got an autographed copy of Like A Virgin from her.
Rating:
Summary: Very tasteful look at early Madonna
Review: In the foreword, Martin Schreiber, then a struggling photographer in NYC, describes a young model who entered his studio on 12 February 1979 and for a short time, posed for him. That model was Madonna Louise Ciccone. Some of those photos ended up in the September 85 Playboy, after Like A Virgin exploded over the face of pop. Schreiber describes this book as "a celebration of the human form, a dedication to an innocent, determined young woman, and to all figure models." Given the photos that were shot, I'd concur. $30 for three hours, as the consent form signed by her says. Well, that three hour session yielded some really tasteful b&w photography, the highlights of which are blown up for this book. The last pages show the safety film of the complete sessions. This particular form, done in various lighting and shadows, is quite appealing and artful. One full frontal shot of her, spanning 8 through 8A on the safety film, with the head cut off, would make an excellent Greek or Roman statue. The frontal sphinx-like crouching shots of her are nice. A striped cat is crouched inbetween her arms. The next shot, the cat is gone, she is in the same position, and there's a view of her pubic hair in shadows. The cat comes out in two other shots of her, including the book cover photo. BTW, Madonna isn't smiling in these shots but maintains a dignified expression throughout. Think about it though. These were taken in 1979, years before Like A Virgin, MTV, Sean Penn, Blonde Ambition, Evita, and the bogus British accent she has now affected. Often times, early activities by an actor or singer (think Sylvester Stallone) reveals some embarassing moments, but this isn't one of them, as the Certain Sacrifice movie was. No, years from now, Madonna can look through these pictures and remember the simpler times. P.S. I wonder if the cat got an autographed copy of Like A Virgin from her.
Rating: 
Summary: The Standard
Review: Madonna is the way every woman should be, in every respect.
Rating:
Summary: To the figure model
Review: Martin H. M. Schreiber made this book as a dedication to Madonna and all figure models. It is a glance into the ambition and dedication that Madonna and other models have. Beyond the obvious conotations provided by the mystique that is Madonna today, we can find the simple beauty of a young woman expressing the beauty of her body. The works in this book are simple, but they have a subtle delicacy to them that I really appreciated.
Rating: 
Summary: what the f*** !!!
Review: she only sells record for being nude. don't buy this terrible book of porn, and she should be embarrassed of herself !!!
Rating:
Summary: If You Could Describe A Work of Art, It Would Be: MADONNA
Review: The book begins with 3 forewords [each one in a different language French, German, and English] describing exactly how Madonna on February 12, 1979, a quiet, shy girl walked into the photographer's studio for the first time and pursued this session of photo shoots. She was the nude model for Martin H. M. Schreiber photography class that evening. He describes that his book is a tribute to Madonna and anyone like her who aspires through ambition, hard work, and perseverance to achieve their goals! The author of this book describes his journey in his beginnings as a photographer and how he eventually decided to publish his work. He also mentions how Playboy in 1985 published 4 of his photographs. His work he describes is a "celebration of the human form, a dedication to an innocent, determined, young woman." There is a copy of the model release form in the first page with Madonna's signature and the price she accepted. The pictures are in black and white and show various model poses. From a classic pose to several others where she is seen unclothed in various angles exposing different parts of her body. There are several pages that show a bunch of photos in one page displaying numerous positions from crouched on her knees to lying back, lying to the side and so forth. The author ends again with 3 different language type descriptions of his work, the other books he has done, and his former background. There are various versions to this artistic book worth mentioning and buying. My review pertains to the soft cover and has the published date copyright 1990. It is a 1992 edition by Benedikt Taschen Verlag [ISBN 3-8228-9777-9] and was printed in Germany. The title reads MADONNA NUDES 1979 [author Martin Hugo Maximilian Schreiber]. The cover of this edition has Madonna topless wearing sweat pants petting a cat versus the picture displayed above. Overall, for the average Madonna Fan this is an excellent book to add to your collection. Photographers may like to buy this in their quest to visualize the beauty of a woman like Madonna thru the lens. Other people including critics will also find this book to show a magnificent style of imagery relating to how Madonna from her early beginnings had a knack for the cameras. Every page in my opinion shows an image of a young woman that is confident, proud of her body, and very much at ease as the photos were taken. Although, there have been rumors that she was not too thrilled with the timing and the release of some of these photos to Playboy it is apparent that 10 years later people are still buying this book and seeing her for the person she is: A Work of Art!
Rating:
Summary: it is a very insitfull book that made me rethink my views
Review: VERY SEX
Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: When she was younger, Madonna had a very natural beauty that was accentuated by her well-endowed figure. This book features some outstanding portraits of her in casual but very erotic poses; her healthy, hirsute body provides a welcome contrast to the skinny smoothness that seems to be the current feminine ideal. Sure, the collection probably never would have been published had Madonna not become the star she is today, but her celebrity status is precisely what makes the book so intriguing. I would definitely recommend it to Madonna fans, but it really belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who enjoys quality, tasteful nude photography.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: When she was younger, Madonna had a very natural beauty that was accentuated by her well-endowed figure. This book features some outstanding portraits of her in casual but very erotic poses; her healthy, hirsute body provides a welcome contrast to the skinny smoothness that seems to be the current feminine ideal. Sure, the collection probably never would have been published had Madonna not become the star she is today, but her celebrity status is precisely what makes the book so intriguing. I would definitely recommend it to Madonna fans, but it really belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who enjoys quality, tasteful nude photography.
<< 1 >>
|
