Untitled (man flexing muscles in "Mr. Universe" competition, arms up) c. 1951

Curator: What a study in contrasts, a photograph capturing a bodybuilder, arms raised, by Jack Gould, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. The inscription tells us this is a Mr. Universe competition. Editor: There’s a melancholy to it, isn't there? The grey tones and bare setting almost undermine the exuberance of the pose. Curator: Perhaps it speaks to the symbolic burdens placed on the body, the unattainable ideals of masculine strength throughout history, from classical sculpture to the modern-day contest. Editor: Or maybe it's just a guy flexing, caught in a moment of preening. I bet his back is cramping. Curator: It’s a fascinating intersection, really, of personal ambition and cultural expectation, documented on film. Editor: It certainly gives one pause to consider the stories etched into the very lines of a body. Curator: Indeed. I will look at the 'perfect' body differently from now on.