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Larry Clark and Masculinity

Male Subjectivity and Visual Culture

Larry Clark and Masculinity cover

Larry Clark and Masculinity Male Subjectivity and Visual Culture

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Pre-order. Available 02 Oct 2025
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Description

This book explores the visual representation of masculinity in the work of Larry Clark, using this to
prompt a wider conversation about the male body in visual culture and art.
Infamous for his often deeply personal depictions of teenage sexuality, subcultures and drug use, filmmaker and photographer Larry Clark also paid close attention to male identity, as revealed for the first time in this book. It explores the visual representation of masculinity in Clark's work, revealing how his images of the male body differ from traditional depictions and function not only as objects of spectacle, but as spectacular objects in themselves.

Despite being hugely influential, there has been a lack of critical attention paid to Clark's work following his celebrated photobook Tulsa (1971). Larry Clark and Masculinity is a vital contribution to research on Clark, and visual and photography studies more broadly, where it explores the photographer's depiction of the male subject as an object of desire. It also expands research in gender and queer studies by examining masculinity as a relational, social and intercultural construct in media and society, enhancing our understanding of Clark's narrative and iconographic practice, while simultaneously positioning his work at the centre of the cultural discourse around male subjectivity.

Drawing on an array of Clark's work, including his films 'Kids' and 'Ken Park', as well as his photographs, Masculinity and Visual Culture offers a critical re-examination of Clark's impact on visual culture and gender representation. By positioning Clark's work at the centre of the cultural discourse around male subjectivity, it enhances our understanding of Clark's narrative and iconographic practice as a means of negotiating complex subjectivities.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface: Photography as a Mirror – The Radical Vision of Larry Clark, Johan Swinnen, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, VUB, Belgium

Introduction: Understanding Visual Culture through the Lens of Larry Clark
1. Exploring Youth and Rebellion: The Foundations of Visual Culture in Larry Clark's "Tulsa" and "Kids"
2. Decoding Despair: Visual Signs and Symbols in Larry Clark's "Tulsa" and "Teenage Lust"
3. Raw Realities: Identity and Subcultures in Larry Clark's "Kids" and "Wassup Rockers"
4. Capturing Chaos: The Photographic Truth of Youth Culture in Larry Clark's photobooks
5. Performing Marginality: The Dramatic Dimensions in Larry Clark's Films & Photography
Conclusion

Epilogue, Leen Dhaensen, KU Leuven, Belgium

Notes
Index

Product details

Published 02 Oct 2025
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 224
ISBN 9781350385412
Imprint Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Illustrations 36 bw illus
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Dirk Reynders

Dirk Reynders is a lecturer, writer, researcher, c…

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