'Two Men' Is A Thought-Provoking Picture Book

T

o see two men together—working, walking, talking, eating, embracing, at play or simply sitting or standing side by side—is to experience a certain physical tension that is unique to the male.”

—John Jonas Gruen in the forward to “Two Men.”

In the American culture, it is normal and acceptable for heterosexual women to refer to one another as “girlfriends.” But, inversely, it is taboo for heterosexual males to refer to their masculine counterparts as “boyfriends.” Of course men do have relationships and deep friendships with one another but the boundaries are more rigid.

Unlike women, males typically do not share physical intimacies with one another. Unless they are working side by side, it’s rare to see two straight men in close quarters or in an embrace—unless they are members of the same family, in a group setting or when they are celebrating an athletic achievement.

In his book of black-and-white portraiture, “Two Men,” Mr. Gruen has captured such moments of men together in the same physical space. Not all of them are embracing but his photographs absolutely and poignantly capture moments of intimacy not often seen. In this mixture of candid and posed shots, there are images of coworkers—most notably American construction workers and Italian waiters—fathers and sons, friends and lovers. Throughout, the message that there is intimacy between these members of the less fair sex is clear.

“It occurred to me that the whole matter of maleness, of being a man, certainly in America ... Men have a tough time of it because they are supposed to be these strong paragons of everything that being a man implies,” Mr. Gruen said during a telephone interview from his Manhattan home earlier this month. “It’s a huge burden to be a man ... It’s not anything to be ashamed of. Women have precisely the same thing but they have a different dynamic. With men it’s complicated. Not that women aren’t complicated,” he laughed, “this is what I hope somehow comes out in this strange, peculiar book.”

“Two Men” is a compilation of photographs of strangers and some of Mr. Gruen’s close friends—a virtual Who’s Who of notable men. In it, there are pictures of Leonard Bernstein with members of his family and friends, including Mr. Gruen; Tennessee Williams; Larry Rivers and Arnold Weinstein; Tibor de Nagy and Robert Rauschenberg; Edward Albee and Lukas Foss; Keith Haring, posed with Mr. Gruen; Jack Youngerman and his son, Duncan; and Joe Pintauro and Greg Therriault, to name a few. Playing to the theme, the author photo is of Mr. Gruen and the book’s editor, Sam Swasey, together on a New York City street, taken by Mr. Gruen’s daughter, Julia Gruen.

The composer, playwright, journalist and photographer—who splits his time between Manhattan and the East End with his wife, Jane Wilson—has been taking pictures for more than five decades, he reported. Over the course of his life, he has formed friendships with countless artists, many of them male, particularly while staying at the couple’s Water Mill home.

“In the ’50s is when I became fascinated with photography and photographers, I thought it was going to be a great art form,” he said. “Throughout the years I made a lot of male friends, some gay, some not, many of them interesting and good looking, and I kept photographing them,” he explained.

But it wasn’t until recently, and with the prompting of Mr. Swasey, that Mr. Gruen contemplated doing a book on this particular subject matter.

“My editor Sam said, ‘You’ve got all these pictures of two men, why don’t you do a book on them.’ I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. Sam was the instigator of this book.”

Mr. Swasey, who has been archiving Mr. Gruen’s photographs for the past two years and calls the photographer “a great friend and mentor,” said that he was struck by the number of images of men together, as well as the social commentary they elicited.

“He had always had this large collection of couples, among these I noticed heterosexual and homosexual couples. I think it’s an important thing to look at ... these bonds between people.”

Mr. Gruen was quick to point out that “Two Men” is “not a gay book or a straight book but something you’ve got to do a little thinking about.” He added quickly though that he is proud to be a resident of the state of New York, which was a trailblazer in legalizing gay marriage.

“It’s one of the great liberties. It’s about time and I think it’s great,” he said. “The affection that two men have for one another; it isn’t anything shocking, it’s wonderful.”