Selfie-raconteur James Franco is his own living work of art, one of those actors/artists who dabbles in much and forges his own path in the artistic/entertainment world. While I’m not always impressed or even riveted by much of what he does (I will never watch ‘Pineapple Express’ no matter how much certain people beg me to do so), I do get kick a kick out of his antics, particularly the ones where little to no clothing is involved. Our culture’s hang-ups about nudity seem to rise to the surface whenever Franco reveals his own skin, as he did in this striking Annie Leibovitz photograph.
Oddly enough, as in many of Leibovitz’s nude works, I find this less erotic and sexy, despite all the skin and exposure, and more a study of a pose, a gaze, and the human figure. It’s akin to a painting, and the grays and shadows that Liebowitz does so well are in gorgeous effect here. Like Adam, Franco appears poised to make a few mistakes, but he’s one of those stars who gets back up, dusts himself off, and continues on his mischief-making way.
