Picture a colonial patio in Colombia. Golden stone walls weathered by time, a turquoise pool bordered with blue and red azulejo tiles, palm trees filtering warm, humid light, a hand-carved wooden bench, a worn wicker chair. And in the middle of this setting that smells of wet earth and jasmine, a naked boy, wet, muscled, copper skin dotted with water droplets, looking at you as if you just entered his garden without knocking. Welcome to Benno Thoma’s world, and meet Mateo Diaz.
Benno Thoma — Dutch photographer born in Maastricht in 1956, longtime BelAmi collaborator, published five times by Bruno Gmünder, exhibited in New York galleries — isn’t a porn photographer. He’s a male nude photographer who works with natural light, architecture, and the body as three equal materials. His Colombian series — Cartagena, Cali, ruined colonial houses — have become collector’s pieces. And Mateo Diaz is exactly the kind of model who elevates this approach.
Mateo has a physique that contrasts with BelAmi’s usual Slavic twinks. He’s a compact Latino, stocky without being massive, with the muscular density of a gymnast or dancer. Broad shoulders and round, thick defined pecs, a carved six-pack under olive caramel skin that catches the warm patio light like polished leather. Toned arms, a back striated with muscles you can see contract when he grips the rope above the pool, powerful thighs and smooth, sculpted calves. The body is almost entirely smooth — barely a hint of hair at the pubes and pits — giving the wet skin a sculptural quality, like molten bronze.
The face is equally striking. Very short black hair, almost shaved, a high forehead, almond-shaped brown eyes — with a slight epicanthic fold suggesting mixed heritage — high cheekbones, a straight nose, full lips and fleshy, a square chin. It’s a young face but already structured, with natural gravity that contrasts with the sensuality of the exposed body. No forced smile, no teasing pose — just a guy who’s there, naked, letting you look.
And there’s a lot to look at. Sitting on the carved wooden colonial bench, legs spread, arms behind his head, soft cock hanging between his thighs — it’s the most classic pose, but the setting transforms it into a Renaissance painting. Standing against a pastel wall, in profile, hard dick pointing straight to the sky, one hand on his thigh — the side light cuts each muscle like a knife. Sitting on a colonial wooden and cane chair, naked, heavy cock resting on the seat’s edge, he stares at you with that serious, calm expression — it’s the photo that sums up all of Thoma’s talent: transforming a naked guy on a chair into something you’d hang in a gallery.
And then there’s the pool photo. From behind, hanging from a rope, he swings above the turquoise water — powerful V-shaped back, muscled round ass, bent legs, feet barely touching the surface. It’s an image of movement, freedom, raw physical joy — and it might be the most beautiful in the series. Standing before the stone wall, covered in water droplets, wet skin gleaming under the light, soft cock, fists clenched at his sides — it’s the opposite: static power, the resting animal, the dude stepping out of the pool who doesn’t need to pose to be magnificent.
That’s Benno Thoma’s genius: taking a BelAmi model, pulling him out of the Bratislava studio, planting him in a Colombian patio where light, architecture, and vegetation already do half the work — and letting the body do the rest. Mateo Diaz is the perfect vehicle for this vision: a dense, golden Latino body, a serious face, skin that absorbs every nuance of tropical light. Do you prefer the wet Mateo by the pool or the serious Mateo on the colonial chair? Tell us in the comments.
Photos: Benno Thoma for BelAmi Online — model Mateo Diaz
