Study in colour of the male body

I love to paint and draw the male body. I am clueless why somebody could say that the male body is ugly and not esthetically pleasing to look at. It is true that male bodies come in all shapes and sizes, but the same applies to female bodies. Besides we each have a different taste in what we find pleasing to look at.

Personally I find the work of Dylan Ricci very pleasing to look at and his male models are superb. His photography inspired me to the two following studies in mixed media (soft pastels and ink).

In these studies I highlighted the beauty in the round shapes of a male body. In the background - to contrast the round forms and shapes of the body - I use straight lines and rectangular shapes. Soft pastels are an excellent medium to bring out the softness of the skin, whereas the ink makes the contrast to the pastels.