Bodies We Want. All The Athletes In The Buff from the 2011 ESPN Body Issue.

above: Athletes Blake Griffith and Hope Solo pose au naturel for ESPN's Body Issue

ESPN The Mag’s 3rd Body Issue, went on newsstands yesterday, Friday, October 7 and features over 22 athletes in the buff, revealing their physiques while tastefully concealing their other assets. Athletes who span the world of sports including the four cover athletes below: Hope Solo, Gretchen Bleiler, Blake Griffin, and Jose Reyes.




The much-anticipated issue is a celebration and exploration of the wide variety that is the athletic form demonstrated through creative photography, in-depth interviews and a variety of features including “Bodies We Want,” where The Mag once again celebrates the strength, grace and perfection of the athletic form featuring 22 of the sleekest physiques in sports.

Celebrity and portrait photographers Francesco Carrozzini, Alex Cayley, Jeff Riedel, Luis Sanchis, Peter Hapak and Alan Clarke shot the following 24 photos for the issue and the four covers. The following images are grouped by photographer and some have been cropped for this post. The athletes and their corresponding sport are listed at the end of this post.

Apolo Anton Ohno by Francesco Carrozzini:


Gretchen Bleiler by Francesco Carrozzini:

Jose Reyes by Francesco Carrozzini:

Alicia Sacramone by Francesco Carrozzini:

Julie Chu by Alex Cayley:

Ryan Kesler by Alex Cayley:

Jeremy Campbell by Alex Cayley:

Vera Zvonareva by Alex Cayley:

Sylvia Fowles by Jeff Riedel:

Jon "Bones" Jones by Jeff Riedel:

Ryan Hall by Jeff Riedel:

Belen Mozo by Jeff Riedel:

Stephanie Gilmore by Luis Sanchis:

Hope Solo by Luis Sanchis:

Natasha Hastings by Luis Sanchis:

Helio Castroneves by Luis Sanchis:

Steven Jackson by Alan Clarke:

close-up:

Louie Vito by Peter Hapak:

Suzy Hotrod by Peter Hapak:

Kelly Kulick by Peter Hapak:

Sergio Martinez by Peter Hapak:



Athlete / Sport
Alicia Sacramone: Gymnastics
Apolo Ohno: Speedskating
Belen Mozo: Golf
Blake Griffin: NBA
Gretchen Bleiler: Snowboarding
Helio Castroneves: Motorsports
Hope Solo: Soccer
Jeremy Campbell: Discus/Pentathlon
Jon Jones: MMA
Jose Reyes: MLB
Julie Chu: Ice Hockey
Louie Vito: Snowboarding
Kelly Kulick: Bowling
Natasha Hastings: Track & Field
Ryan Hall: Running
Ryan Kesler: NHL
Sergio Martinez: Boxing
Stephanie Gilmore: Surfing
Steven Jackson: NFL
Suzy Hotrod: Roller Derby
Sylvia Fowles: WNBA
Vera Zvonareva: Tennis

Also in the Body Issue, “Nude Awakening,” documents one brave reporter’s account of turning the tables while he interviews L.A. Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier and enforcer Kevin Westgarth, with nothing but a notepad and tape recorder in hand; and “Chasing The Miracle Cure,” a deeper dive into how athletes constantly push the edge of science for an advantage and are stem cell injections the new frontier?

The Body Issue:

The Body You Don’t Want
The scars covering driver John Force are a map of his brutal career. The 15-time NHRA Funny Car champ details one of his crash-filled voyages. As told to Ryan McGee

Pass Interference
Peyton Manning’s gift is his ability to control the game. But learning to let go might be the only way he’ll get back onto the field. By Seth Wickersham

Nobody Walks Alone
A bullet in the back left basketball star Mike Williams paralyzed from the waist down. The help of an old teammate is getting him back on his feet. By Brandon Sneed

images and info courtesy of ESPN Magazine

See videos of the photoshoots and behind the scenes here at ESPN/bodyissue

Lucian Freud Remembered. Images of (and links to) his Astounding Work.

above: Lucian Freud self-portrait (one of many), Reflection, 2005

British realist, figurative and portrait painter Lucian Freud, who was one of the greatest artists of our time, passed away at the age of 88 on July 20th.


above: photo of Lucian Freud by David Montgomery

above: a young Lucian Freud in his studio (photographer unknown)

The grandson of the 'Father of Pyschoanalysis,' Sigmund Freud, Lucian was well-known and critically acclaimed for his prolific work. Many of his paintings have broken art auction records and he was greatly respected by both fellow artists, instructors, critics and the art-savvy public.


above: Lucian Freud's Reflection (a self-portrait) with two children

above photo of Lucian Freud working at night by David Dawson, 2oo5

There have been many wonderful articles, documentaries, blog posts and more written on artist Lucian Freud (occasionally spelled Lucien). For that reason, I won't go into depth about his career but will share some links to interesting articles and several images of some of his paintings (please note that his drawings and etchings are equally superb and compelling). There are additional links at the end of this article so you can peruse his vast and impressive repertoire.

Portrait of Harry Diamond:

Portrait of David Hockney:

photo of Hockney and Lucian Freud in Freud's atelier:

Portrait of Francis Bacon:

Father and Daughter:

Interior (after Watteau):

Interior in Paddington:

Portrait of the Queen:

Bella and Esther:


He captured himself, friends, family, fellow artists and a few famous folks (Jerry Hall, Kate Moss and more) in portraits he referred to as "naked' rather than nude. Often immortalized as sleeping or reclining, his thick brush strokes and energetic style were unmistakable. In his own words he "turned paint into flesh" and in the following selection of portraits, that is clearly visible.

Benefits Supervisor Sleeping:

Naked portrait with reflection:

two different portraits of Leigh Bowery:

photo of Leigh Bowery's sitting for Freud:

An homage to Cezanne:

Eight Months Gone, a portrait of a pregnant Jerry Hall:

his portrait of model Kate Moss:

Lucian Freud with muse (one of several) Kate Moss:

The Painter Surprised by a Naked Admirer:


Lucian Freud was also a dog lover - he owned two beloved whippets named Pluto and Eli- and many of his portraits coupled himself and friends with dogs, like those shown below:


above image of Lucian Freud, 2005, by photographer David Dawson

Girl with White Dog:

Guy and Speck:

Guy with Speck:

Eli and David:

David and Eli:

Portrait with whippet:

Double Portrait:

Double Portrait:

Triple Portrait:

Eli:


Since his recent passing, many articles have appeared, here are just a few:

• A New York Times article by William Grimes and another New York Times article by Michael Kimmelman and its accompanying side show

• The Los Angeles Times' Remembering artist Lucian Freud

• The Guardian's article featuring good links and tributes to the artist.

• The Mirror's profile of the artist.

• The Telegraphs' Lucian Freud: A Life In Pictures

• The Independent's A singular portraitist. A tireless hedonist. A dear friend.

• The Daily Mail asks Did Lucian Freud Love his Art More Than His Children? in this article about his personal life.

And shown here in 3 parts is a 2010 documentary on the painter's retrospective exhibit (160 paintings) posted on YouTube by artcatal:

part 1

part 2

part 3


Some links to his work:

Lucian Freud: The Painter's Etchings at MoMA

Lucian Freud at the Centre Pompidou

Lucian Freud on Artnet

Art by Lucian Freud on the Museum Syndicate

Lucian Freud on Wikipedia

Rest in Peace.