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Sunday 28 November 2010

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - NSM

I have a small selection of NSM's work which is another example of Science Fiction settings for S&M fetish. NSM's heroes are tied up and tortured by the inhabitants of other worlds.

NSM - Settling of Scores in The Mabin Desert
In 'Settling of scores in the Mabin desert' you might almost think you were in the Old West were it not for the curious spiky implement held by the torturer. The thorns embedded in the captive's thighs are an original variation on the piercing theme and suggest an undercurrent of pain. The dildo like post between the captives legs is, I suspect, a living organism that in due course will grow and impale (or engulf) the hapless captive.
I like the simple power of this image and the scope it gives for morbid fantasy. The captive's body with a flash of hair on the chest and arms is that of a real man. The depiction of the captor's clothing, though lacking any erotic interest, is none the less highly accomplished. The simple splashes of black which define the folds in the boots, for example, also create a startlingly effective 3D illusion. The stark black shadowing in this picture is a classic comic strip technique which is particularly useful in small scale comic drawings which have to be simple. In this full size picture it creates a powerful lighting effect but you can see it's a bit too powerful for defining musculature which has more subtle contours.

NSM - 'The Thing Plays With The Rebel'

In 'The Thing Plays With The Rebel', NSM unleashes a spiky creature of indeterminate shape on another realistic looking man. It's a clever idea but despite the facial grimace, the victim's muscle-man pose is just that, a photographic pose, and not the writhing of a man under attack. The branches(?) wrapped around his neck and draped over his head are brilliant but they should be pulling him, the ear probe should surely cause some reaction too. It's a bit of a disappointment that 'The Thing', armed with all those fearsome spikes, just wants to tickle him! But you have to admire the clarity with which the artist has managed to depict such a complex scene - unaided by the viewers own knowledge of what 'Things' look like. That's part of the problem of course, monsters exist in everyone's imagination but are defined not just as shapes, but as senses and intangible fears as well. Trying to convincing capture that complex entity on paper or celluloid is a challenge of the highest order.

NSM - The Nephew Will Take It

The final picture restores reality, this man actually looks like he is hanging by his arms. Another menacing (sort of!) organism rises to attack him. It's a nice drawing and captures a classic male fetish image in a very attractive way.

I like NSM's work, it's well drawn, imaginative and also memorable because it attempts to set male bondage in a context that is inherently filled with danger and the unknown. Paradoxically it also sums up the dilemma of the fetish artist:- now you've got him tied up, what are you going to do with him? If you really love men, it's a tough call!

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Sorry I don't have a link, information from readers welcome! 
These images probably came from GMBA (see sidebar)

For other articles in this series click on the 'A-Z' label below or search for a specific name using the white box at the top of the page.

Sunday 21 November 2010

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - 'Nou'

Nou - Cage Thirst

This picture is something of a classic and regularly surfaces in art groups, I have it under the name Nou but I don't really know if that is the correct attribution, nor do I have any other work by him.

'The caged man' is a popular fetish theme but not that easy to make into a memorable visual image. The bars get in the way of course and there's a temptation to include additional bondage which, logically speaking, renders the cage superfluous. If you do away with the bondage, sizing the cage is an issue. Too large and the captive doesn't seem constrained enough, (think of Tom's prison cells which don't imprison so much as separate the prisoner and his jailor). Make the cage too small and the prisoner has to sit, a position which is altogether too comfortable, or else his head and legs fold into his body, hiding the most attractive features.

Nou's stroke of genius is to allow the prisoner's head to project from the top of the cage making it an anchoring device and allowing the crouching body position to be clearly seen. The detailing of the feet and legs is accomplished. The black mummy-like mask, hides the face and personality of the captive, but combines with the cage to make a powerful visual statement. I'm not sure many men would be able to replenish the urinal at that height - but then deception is part of the power of drawn art.

For other articles in this series click on the 'A-Z' label below

Monday 15 November 2010

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - NoBeast


NoBeast - Kiss
The fantasy worlds stalked by 'NoBeast' are outside my normal area of interest (too much long hair for a start!) but I have certain fascination with his amorous human-plus-monster encounters, which arguably are a very ancient fetish. In 'Kiss' NoBeast has accurately pinpointed the sensual eroticism underlying this potentially shocking fantasy subject. No peck on the cheek is this, check out where the dragon's teeth are!
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There's an artistic intelligence about his rendering which is a delight to the eye. While the presentation is very modern his underlying technique harks back to the style of Aubery Beardsley, evidenced in the striking, artful poses, the simplicity of line and (below) the use of dense background patterns.
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NoBeast - Tentacles

The tentacle art shown here is less stylish but to my mind is something of a classic in the genre, since it imports the fantasy dream into the real world rather than placing the dreamer in a fantasy land. This inversion of the usual approach creates a stronger sense of intimacy initially, but then one wonders about those strange hands!. The line of the arched body is very pleasing and draws attention to the untouched erection which allows the viewer a frisson of 'me too' anticipation, particularly if this gentleman is in the process of becoming prey.
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There's a small selection of NoBeast's work on feuilleton
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For other articles in this series click on the 'A-Z' label below

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Nimium


Nimium - GI's on the road to Jiang

Nimium's theme is crucufixion and he addresses it with meticulously drawn detail. One is immediately struck by the strong sense of almost geometric perspective, a stylistic feature which seems to characterise many of our 'N' artists. His subject matter is usually set in Roman/biblical times, but the sample I have chosen is a more modern story - conceived on an epic scale with crosses stretching into the far distance, snaking across the hills like the great wall of China. No doubt this imagery was inspired in part by the fate of Spartacus and his fellow rebels so there are Roman connections after all! The GI punishment theme these days has all sorts of political connotations which I won't go into, but in this context it's sympathetic, the abuse of POW's and the fear induced in their colleagues. Despite the nails the victims are supported by ropes, so this is arguably a punishment not an execution, Nimium's pictures usually underplay the cruelty of the cross. However, this is erotic fantasy so it's perfectly permissible for both victims and onlookers to be getting a kick out of it.

Nimium often draws non-stereotypical, realistic faces and his men have well toned but believable physiques which he also depicts accurately. The forward facing, photographic pose is typical and although the foreground figure is a bit stiff and almost detached from the rest of the composition, the supporting cast are rendered in a more lifelike and interesting way. The background detail is highly impressive and the sense of depth is assisted by nice pencil technique, fading out into the distance.

Nimium's work appears at the MCR Group from time to time

For other articles in this series click on the 'A-Z' label below

Tuesday 2 November 2010

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Nikolaas

As far as I know, Nikolaas only draws one subject, men being hanged. This is a controversial fetish to say the least, although an erotic interest in asphyxiation is common as witness the regularity with which misjudged experiments claim lives significant enough to warrant press reports.

Preoccupation with the imagery is equally common amongst fetish artists. I dabble in this area myself occasionally and it figures in the work of Mike Carcel, Martin of Holland and Marc, all of whom who I featured under the letter 'M'. For me Bondageskin is the foremost exponent of this genre although his computer generated work doesn't qualify for this series. 

Nikolaas's contributions depict youthful, floppy haired victims being callously despatched by prison guards or the military. Generally they are in a state of nudity and you can see that for Nikolaas, this is an important part of the ritual. His subjects are a bit too young for me but the example here is an interesting depiction of arbitrary justice.


Nikolaas - Farm Boys

The rural setting for the drama is painted in delicate water colours and is reminiscent of the art of the mid-20th century which invoked the pastoral ideal in similar terms in order to promote food production or healthy leisure pursuits. It's a dramatically structured composition telling a chilling story. The motivations are more obscure than his prison scenes but suggest backward/backwoods prejudice and redneck country boys of the worst sort. The dramatic perspective and setting make an interesting comparison with the Highway picture by Nicolas which I featured previously.

Nikolaas posts occasionally on GMBA - see sidebar for current link

For other articles in this series click on the 'A-Z' label below