Standing naked, a man’s wrists are tied behind his back with red rope as he holds a red rose upright in his right hand.
This photograph was sent in by caitiff, who wrote:
I am the photographer so I am not sure I can be unbiased. However, I liked the idea because I don’t see enough of bondage as a prop of romance. Hands tied with rope are as erotic to me (if not more) than any of the stereotypical examples one can think of (nudity, the rose, ect.).
I like this simple, if perhaps somewhat cliche image, because the symbolic use of object and color is clear enough that even I (an artistic dunce) can understand it. Perhaps the only thing missing from the picture are the thorns on the rose, which seem to have been cut from the stem. Nevertheless, the association between being physically bound to being emotionally committed is a powerful one.
Romance is frequently highly prescribed; Valentine’s Day, white-dress marriages, and serenades with string quartet accompaniment are oft-referenced platonic ideals. Moreover, it’s also strictly constrained; unions not based on gender or that include more than 2 people are often mistrusted. But of course, “true” romance—like “true love”—is what you choose to make of it.