Arax

Krikor Djololian (1897-1975), better known as Gregor Arax, had quite a journey to becoming one of Europe's great physique photographers. Born Armenian in the Ottoman Empire, he survived the Armenian Genocide before settling in Paris in 1922. An athlete himself, he began photographing Armenian athletes, scouts and competitions before turning increasingly toward physical culture and the male body. In this sense I would compare the focus of his work to the American photographers, Russ Warner and Alonzo Hanagan.

*All photos except #3 below were taken by Arax, mostly in his Paris studio, from the 1940's to 1950's.

1. Jean Merlier - 1946.

2. James Marcel - 1959.

3. Djolian (center) surrounded by Armenian scouts in 1925. The only reliable image I could find of him, but I gathered there is a portrait of hime with bodybuilder, John Grimek, and Grimek's wife somewhere. If you are aware of others please email to bushnstache@gmail.com.

 

Paris between the wars must have been an extraordinary place to have a camera. Djololian photographed Armenian community life, Montparnasse balls and other pieces of Parisian history, later even documenting the Liberation of Paris. At the same time, Studio Arax became internationally known for its photographs of bodybuilders and athletes.

4. Gerard Olivier.

5. Jean Millet - 1954.

6. Roger Chaverouche

And what photographs they are. Arax didn't need much—simple backgrounds, beautiful controlled lighting and very few props. The man's body did most of the work. Over the years, everyone from European bodybuilding champions to Sean Connery and Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared before his camera.

7. Arthur Robin - 1957.

8. Helmut Riedmeier, who also posed for many American photographers of the time.

9. Thomas Hubert holding ball overhead.

 

Djololian was married with three children and, as far as I can tell, was not known to be gay. Somehow I sense that in his work. There's more form than fantasy, without many of the hyper-masculine tropes and “rituals of innocence” that could provide cover for homoerotic imagery at the time. 

Still, when a man devotes so much of his life and talent to photographing idealized male bodies, I can't help but wonder about the admiration, aspiration or yearning behind the camera. That's my own bias speaking, of course. Whatever Djololian's inner experience, his work sits at a fascinating intersection of immigration, war, Parisian culture, sport and photography. Behind all those beautiful bodies is a much bigger piece of twentieth-century history.

10. Charles Klejniak and Hubert Thomas - 1954.

11. Claude Janvier - 1957.

Please leave thoughts, questions, corrections or additions in the comments. Thank you, bns