79 Photos of Moody, Mostly Naked Russian Men

It's not without a little conflict that we post images of male nudes from Russia. The country as a whole has a reputation of profound homophobia. And yet here are beautiful, sensual photos of naked men, some overtly sexual, and all taken by another man. We find a little hope here. That we all appreciate the naked male form gives us a point of unity. Sometimes art can become unhitched from politics.

Thirty-three-year-old Yevgeny Kovrov, born in Arkhangelsk, Russia, currently works and lives in St. Petersburg. He is mostly self-taught and began shooting by sweet-talking his friends into posing and by shooting self-portraits (some of which are included here.)

In his own words (modified by Google Translate): "I want to find my recognizable style, so that my photos do not excite the flesh, but at the same time shoot a candid nude. You need to learn how to shoot nude so that the viewer does not immediately realize that the model has no clothes. That the model is undressed not only for the pleasure of the eyes, but also its inner world is bare, the soul is bare. It is difficult, and this is my goal."

He takes inspiration from Yuri Rost, Herbert List, George Platt Lynes, Robert Mappelthorpe, Herb Ritts, and Annie Leibovitz.

Follow his progress on Facebook and Instagram.