The medium emphasizes the beauty, subtlety and masculinity of the male nude. The lack of definable colour seduces the viewer into an appreciation of the texture of skin, the sensuality of body hair and the interesting modeling of muscle and sinew brought out by the richness of shadow and contrast.
Deep shadow adds an air of mystery, stimulating a desire to probe the depths and awakening the need to touch and stroke in order to feel as well as see what remains veiled or vaguely suggested. The highlighted areas are rich in that they reveal delicate, silky smoothness of soft skin and contrastingly robust roughness evoked by hair. These contrasts are what make black and white nudes so satisfying.
