Renaissance Bears: Chris Komater’s Jack & Mack Reimagines Art History
Bearskin Lodge Press is excited to announce the publication of Jack & Mack, a stunning new photography book by artist Chris Komater. The collection features bear porn stars Jack Radcliffe and Mack, posed in ways that directly reference iconic Renaissance paintings by masters such as Caravaggio and Bellini.
Komater’s work is a bold and clever subversion of traditional notions of beauty and the male form. While art history has long idealized a specific type of male physique, the bear community has championed a different standard—one that celebrates body hair, larger builds, and a rugged masculinity. In Jack & Mack, Komater masterfully bridges these two worlds, bringing together the aesthetic of a subculture with the grandeur and reverence of classical art.
By borrowing gestures and compositions from Renaissance masterpieces, Komater elevates and reframes his subjects. He blurs the line between the sacred and the profane, creating images that are both familiar in their artistic lineage and revolutionary in their choice of subjects. The photos invite viewers to see beauty in unexpected places and to reconsider who and what is worthy of artistic representation.
This groundbreaking collection is more than just a series of photographs. It is a dialogue between two very different registers of physical expression, prompting a deeper conversation about art, identity, and the male gaze.
Accompanying the photos are insightful essays by prominent voices in the queer and art communities:
- Les K. Wright, a respected bear historian, photographer, and author.
- Robert Glück, a co-founder of the New Narrative literary movement, writer, and artist.
- Earl Jackson, an accomplished essayist and author of Strategies of Deviance, Studies in Gay Male Representation.
Jack & Mack is a testament to the power of art to challenge conventions and redefine beauty. It is a must-have for anyone interested in photography, queer art, and the rich history of the bear movement.
To buy this amazing book, head here
For more articles by Les K Wright, click any of these images:
