Art Bob 2

Read Part 1 of Art Bob

Art Bob - GoldBrickers

We'd call them 'slackers' or 'malingerers' these days. Three men trying to get a Doctor's note for a few days off work. Or perhaps it's just an excuse to be examined by the handsome, young Medic. The degree of disrobing he requires of them suggests he has an exacting and thorough technique (and equally dubious motivations?). 

 

The hunk in the foreground is wearing shorts that are both rolled down at the waist and rolled up at the leg to create a sort of loin cloth effect. He is faking a fever by putting his thermometer on a hot radiator, which itself is puffing out smoke signals of appreciation for the assembled, hot "hunkage". 

 

The current examinee, standing with his flies wide open and nothing underneath apparently, presents himself for the medic's stethoscope, nervously tensed. Anxious perhaps, that his pants will drop at the slightest provocation, revealing something he'd rather keep to himself. 

 

The guy stripping off at the back, for me, is the most interesting, strong jawed and lightly stubbled, he has a cute haircut and muscular arms. A glimpse of buttock tells us he's going to be examined totally naked.  

 

Art Bob - The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall

Everyone's already naked in this image, queuing up nervously to get their jabs, of which there are to be a great many, as witness the multiple plasters on those who have gone before. If that wasn't daunting enough, one of them - 'Mr Bigger' - has fainted and is being carried away by his buddies. 

 

Physique Pictorial captioned this as a military induction scenario, which implies the men are strangers and need to demonstrate good masculine resolve in front of their new peers, even if they are naked and defenceless. 

 

There's some interesting detail, a stray hand seeming to pull back the guy at the front of the queue (or perhaps it's tickling the fainted man's foot). The nearest culprit gazing upwards innocently. The recruit at the very back appears to be humping someone. This provocative, but discreetly obscured, forward thrusting pose is seen in other Art-Bob images. 

 

Art-Bob's contemporary, Spartacus, often drew large group scenes like this with sporting and naval settings.  

 

Art Bob - Life Savers

This situation is sort of medical too, but following a book of Life Saving instructions suggests this is about novices getting in practice, rather than a real emergency. Admittedly the 'victim' does looks a bit glum, depending on whether you see his eyes as open or closed. The 3 oil rigs in the distance seem as if they might be an interesting phallic representation of the group's feelings. They also suggest it's based on a geographic location known to the artist.  

 

The portable radio and shades in the foreground are a nice detail. The basket weave, kepi-style cap appears in another image below, US readers may recognise the style, but it's new to me. 

 

Art Bob - Skiing Mishap (my title)

 Another young man seeking his buddy's help with a bad case of burnt bottom after misjudging the strength of the sun rays on the snowy ski slopes. The ointment and liniment on the bench suggest his friend is equally stricken, but he still looks highly dubious about the prospect of mutual oiling in that particular area.  

There's an odd-looking detail in the grass beyond them that looks rather like a big cat with menacing fangs. It's actually a bearskin rug, and it appears in one of other pictures in the set (see below). Perhaps to parody of the pain the boys are experiencing.

This is one of six drawings in The 'Skiing' Series. Two others are known to me. One shows the blond trying on his skis, wearing nothing but a hooded top, unzipped to the waist. In the other, he's being roused by his buddy from sleep to go skiing before the snow melts. Both seem to simply showcase the boys' physiques. I suspect there's a narrative in which the snow melts, and they resort to nude sunbathing with disastrous consequences. 

 

Art Bob -The Young Carpenters 1

More bottom pain awaits one of the protagonists in this diptych. Our increasingly hapless blond is working with his buddy again, this time nailing shingles on a roof. He loses his balance and his buddy's efforts to save him only result in ripped clothing.

There's some nice physique drawing here and a distinctly balletic composition, brought out by the light hand used to sketch the background detail. In other images Art-Bob depicts ballet scenes and tights more explicitly. 

The difficult perspective here presents no problems to this accomplished artist.  

 

Art Bob -The Young Carpenters 2

This sequel is quite a well known image, you may have seen it converted into a spanking picture. The blond has landed in a barrel of nails which his friend considerately extracts from his posterior one at a time.

The bulge and shading of the legs of the buddies jeans here is quite effective. 

 

Art Bob - The Artist (my title)

 Many of Art Bob's pictures seem to simply be vehicles for male physique drawing. The artistic hunk in the foreground is a deceptively casual creation. But while he lazily touches up his painting, two naked, young men, posing for him in the background must sustain as pose that must be getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute. So it's also an illustration of the control any visual creator has over his models. 

 

There's a more overtly erotic ingredient in the positioning of the right-hand model's head just in front of him, seeming to suggest he's being obliged to give service, which in a way he already is. There may not be much of a bulge in the artist's jeans, but the dripping paintbrush is equally telling. A rather stylish example of 'hidden eroticism'.

 

Art Bob - Artist With His Model 1 (my title)

There's a similar theme here, with an exceptionally muscular, young model being prepared for his shoot (as it were!). The miniature figure on the floor behind him suggests this is a sculptor's studio, so he's probably in for a long stint. What's more, the coat draped over his shoulders and the broken window behind him, with snow and icicles visible, indicates that this is the proverbial, freezing garret. 

Oblivious of this, the artist takes great pains and time to get the skimpy, modesty covering adjusted just right. The sculptor's clothing, complete with trendy deck shoes, is the product of an artist well versed in fashion sketching, but perhaps not the typical attire of bohemian artists.

 

Art Bob - Artist With His Model 2 (my title)

 In the sequel, the sculptor has given the poor model ear-muffs to wear - in response to his complaints about the cold presumably. To add to this indignity, they are particularly feminine, fluffy muffs. He is also obliged to pose holding a household broom instead of a manly spear, highlighted by the contrast with the authenticity of the helmet.

The sculptor working on his model looks at him as if mystified by his grumbles. Of course, he's wrapped up warm himself. At first sight he looks like a painter cleaning his hands with a rag, but he is actually modelling a figure, you can see the shape of the legs, matching those of the model.  

 

Art Bob - Crowded Quarters

 

In their youth, men are usually undismayed by having to share quarters and bare all to other men. The two hunks in the foreground here seem happy to improvise, doing their morning ablutions in close proximity without any apparent concerns. The close arrangement of crotch and elbow is not without erotic interest, nor of course the bent over pose of the nearest man.

 Their younger flatmate, waiting his turn, seems to positively enjoy the spectacle of them jostling at the sink. While they are preoccupied, he seems to be holding up someone's undershorts for a closer examination, as if wondering how they would feel on him. Art Bob seems to have liked this criss-cross pattern, it crops up in a number of his drawings. 

This man also seems to be holding a rosebud which I'm not sure how to interpret. Is it a symbol of his crush on the owner of the pants? Or of what he imagines extracting from them? Maybe the forward thrust of his pelvis and the shielding of his crotch by the backside of one of the hunks provides the answer. Well we can all dream!

 

Art Bob -Water Shortage

 This picture has a similar 'sharing' theme to the one above, but is almost the opposite in emotional terms. These four men jockeying to get some of the water that is dripping out of the shower head are definitely not happy with the arrangement. When it was published, Physique Pictorial related it to military service, when of necessity, washing arrangements were often improvised. 

 

Comrades in arms usually make the best of such inconveniences, but the levels of embarrassment on display here seem to go far beyond that. There's a certain, very mitchmen-esque pleasure to be derived from their predicament. 'Trim' No 3 bizarrely observed that "the English might consider that these boys deserve this fate". Be that as it may, we are deprived of Art-Bob's usual cute faces as a result and must content ourselves with some luscious physique detail.

 

The picture is not without erotic humour, however. The muscular blond in the foreground is rubbing his backside, almost as if he has felt a surreptitious touch. Beyond him, a comrade looks back over his shoulder, as if he might have felt the same thing, as they bathe, accidentally cheek to cheek. Or perhaps it's his wandering hands that were responsible, and he's feigning innocence but can't resist observing the reaction of his target. 

 

The same might be said of the figure on the left, whose willowy physique is another example of Art Bob's forward thrusting pelvis action which produces a natural bunching of the backside and possibly in this case, embarrassment for the man in the middle soaping his hair, he's seen what we can't!

 

~

 

More Art Bob in Part 3 (article pending)

 

Read Part 1 of Art Bob

Don Avard post COMPLETED

Don Avard by Royale

 I have posted all of the images I have of an innovative, early Royale photo set featuring Don Avard at the mitchmen Royale Gallery. It rewrote the book of beefcake with daring poses and extraordinary props.

Avard himself was an interesting character who posed for several photographers and ended up living with Basil Clavering (Royale's founder) and becoming a member of 'the firm', though in what capacity we know not. (see biographical notes on Avard)

View Don Avard, Solo

Targeted - The Firefighter

 

Cybertied - Firefighter Captured

We've all admired the hunky Firefighters who have cheerfully stripped off for calendars in recent years. Rob became one of the best known after his Unit voted him as their 'Cover Guy'. 

They weren't his only admirers, of course and one, very rich one approached the Station with a donation offer they could not refuse. All he wanted was a private hour with Rob and after some intense negotiation it was agreed, but the meeting would have to take place in the Fire Station, rather than his private dungeon.

 

 Rob thought it was a joke when his buddies took him by surprise and tied him up in the comprehensive manner stipulated by the donor. They left him alone on his knees in the Station House. Rob struggling with his bonds as he waited was a most wondrous sight, captured in full by the security camera. But the crew had done a good job, the ties were inescapable.

They all returned an hour later fully intending to rag him before they set him free, but to their horror found that their buddy wasn't there. It was all captured on the camera, of course, and the police soon found the abandoned Fire Engine, but eventually had to reluctantly admit that they were baffled. 

 By then Rob was undergoing re-training, far, far way. But pretty soon, he was back in action, slipping down poles and directing his hose, containing and quenching a succession of demanding flare-ups.

The Unit regretted the loss of Rob's services, but consoled themselves that it had been a very generous donation. The security video inexplicably disappeared, but in the years that followed, it was 'found' by the Night Watch, who liked to watch it and reminisce about hunky Rob when things were quiet.  

~ 

Firefighter Captured by Cybertied is one of his best AI videoettes, to date. The T-shirt and bondage show off the Firefighter's muscles brilliantly and secure an appealing, kneeling position.

Visit Cybertied at 'X'

More Cybertied at mitchmen

For more 'targets' at mitchmen blog, click on the label below.

Recent Art by Jero

Jero - Hunk in Leotard

 Men wear leotards much better than college boys

see I love leotards! 

Jero - Bareass Hunk

Waiting for his appointment with the Doc. 

Simpler outfits have their plus points too! 

 

Jero - The Latest Hi-Tech Draining Equipment

Emergency measure after diagnosis of an over-active gland.

 

Jero - Pre-Game check-up

This jock's hoping that it's his imagination
that is being over-active.

The Doc wouldn't dare - would he?

 

Jero - Space Hunk

 Skin tight suits are pretty cool too.

Is that white line down the front a handy zip? 

(see also my previous post about Art-Bob) 

~ 

Lots more Jero at BSkySocial

Art Bob 1

Art Bob was a popular gay artist in the 60s with an unmistakeable, playful style. He depicted young men enjoying life and getting into 'interesting' situations. I've never reviewed his work here before but have previously posted sample images, also one more recently at the mitchmen account at BSkySocial.  

 

Art Bob - A Little Pull From A Buddy

 

Many of Art-Bob's images will be well known to my readers, so I'm starting this article with one of his less familiar ones. It shows a guy helping his dormitory buddy into a tight-fitting suit -  a diving or flying suit perhaps or, given the imagery on the walls, some sort of spacesuit. 

 

It's not exactly clear what he's doing to help, except that he's using a thread. The suit area below his foot shows cross-stitching and yet the suit seems to have a zip. Sewing it all up seems decidedly kinky. 

 

Even more surprising (for the 50s) is that his foot is placed firmly on his buddies' groin. You don't have to be familiar with foot fetish to perceive the erotic nature of this gesture, the recipient is clearly 'getting it', as it were! For the avoidance of doubt, rockets thrust skywards behind them 

 

The would-be astronaut is a typical example of the artist's usual fare of young and slightly gauche subjects, but his buddy is something else. Stubbled chin plus a hairy and muscular physique, complemented by a rare sight of Y-Front style, white underwear. Hunks like this pop up refreshingly in other pictures by Art Bob. 

 

The title is an example of Art Bob's humorous innuendo. It seems charmingly coy to us but was necessarily so in 1959 when this was published. Most of the images presented here were drawn in the 50s, an era of repression on both sides of the Atlantic. 

 

 

Art Bob - A Stitch In Time

This picture also has a sewing theme. Another hunky buddy helps to fix his (nervous) chum's jeans. The pithy title suggests it's a repair, but these look well past being fixed 'in time'. In the 50s, fashionable young men started to have their jeans altered to fit more tightly round the bum. The most professional technique involved unpicking the centre seam of the pants, like this, cutting away a 'dart', and then sewing it back up. 

 

Needless to say, few lads were accomplished sewers, but if they were lucky their mums or girlfriends would do it for them. Otherwise, they had to call on a 'best mate', whose expertise might be just as lacking as their own. Doing the alteration with the jeans still in place is a typically male solution to the problem of getting it as tight as possible. But it's not without risk, as the stick-on plaster shows.

 

Quite why the helpful friend is nearly naked for this task is a mystery, but who's complaining? His muscular body is clearly shaved below waist level. The 50s furnishings in the background are a delightful detail, not least because the artist's style exactly complements it. No modern home could be without a cheese plant back then. 

 

 

Ronald Wright - A Stitch In Time?

Art-Bob's 'stitch' was very well-received and was reproduced in a number of contemporary beefcake magazines. English artist Ronald Wright was so impressed with the idea that he made his own version, copying the original composition pretty much exactly, but dressing the characters differently and relocating it (bizarrely) to a sports locker room. It's not a patch on the original, but the deliberate reversal of the characterisations is quite interesting.

 

 

Art Bob - Just The Ticket

Buddy collaboration features in this image too. Two lads in a beach buggy are trying to talk a cop out of giving them a ticket. While the cop is distracted, another member of the party reaches out of the boot (US, trunk) to let down his tyres. You don't notice it at first because of the absurd perspective and distance. It's quite an artistic hand, feminine potentially. The passenger feigns innocence on both counts.

 

The characterisation of the cop is decidedly odd. Wearing a bow tie, tight shirt and sun shades that look as though they belong to a fashion model, he's not exactly the epitome of authority.  

 

Beyond the cartoon joke, the check shorts of the passenger are quite sexy and the flash on the driver's trunks hints at, yet disguises, suggestive shaping. In the distorted, visual vocabulary of the image the driver's hand appears to be nudging the cop's groin, possibly grasping something - and the cop seems to have noticed. The hidden eroticism of the time (see label at foot of post for more).

 

 

Art Bob - The Rescue 1

 

Still at the Seaside, a young man strips off on a jetty to rescue a drowning man. He's not wearing any underwear which only underlines his heroism, putting himself in double jeopardy!

 

The artist has gone over the top with wide-eyed boyishness which doesn't gel at all with the mature, hairy muscularity of the character's physique. However, there's a nice sense of urgency in his improbably confused undressing and off-balance pose. The grasping hand projecting from the water is masterly. 

 

 

Art Bob - The Rescue 2

In the sequel, we see a handsome, young man being dragged from the water by his rescuer, whose concerned face now shows rather more maturity. His discarded clothes can be seen on the jetty in both pictures, the sketchy style seeming to morph them into fishing nets! 

 

The water ripples are delightfully stylish. The lower legs visible beneath them don't reflect reality, in contrast to the hand in the previous picture. That might simply reflect hasty sketching, but there's a modernist argument for showing something that's there, even if you can't see it. You can compare Art-Bob's depiction of dripping water with Tom of Finland's below.

 

Art Bob produced a number of diptychs like this, but these images are a far cry from his usual frivolity and whimsy.
 

 

Tom of Finland - Sailor Rescued From Drowning 1

 

Tom Of Finland's 1963 mini story about a drowning sailor rescued by a biker may have been inspired by this couplet. It's equally brief.

 

Tom of Finland - Sailor Rescued From Drowning 2

 

Interestingly, Tom's and Art-Bob's images interleave rather well to produce a more complete storyline, despite the disparity in technique and dress. Both seem to have decided it would be prudent not to attempt to show the moment where the two men come together in the water.

 

There may be more images in Tom's story, he usually did sets of six around this time, but if he did, I don't have them. 

 

 

Art Bob - Down The Road A-Piece

 

The final picture shows two sailors who also need rescuing. They seem to be stranded in the desert with their kitbags and an empty fuel can. A cowboy is gleefully directing them to the nearest gas station - which is clearly miles away! Little wonder they both look so downcast and dismayed. 

 

The cowboy seems to have his horse with him, the reins are in his hand, but he doesn't seem to be offering to help, perhaps he wants to enjoy their predicament for a while, as do we. 

 

Perhaps his offer of help comes with conditions and he's pointing out the unpalatable alternative. He's dressed pretty provocatively for that species and there's a telltale handkerchief in his back pocket which they haven't seen yet.  

 

I love the depiction of the sailors in this picture - both the butch seated one and the boyish doll-like one on the left. This artist shows his understanding of the sexiness of tight sailor's outfits and mangled caps. His depiction of them can't be faulted. Which is why I posted it previously in the In Praise of Sailors series.

 

More Art-Bob in Part 2 

Yet More by Markus573

Markus573 - Did You Break My Shop Window?

Markus573's AI-art is an eclectic mix of topics with a leaning towards traditional punishment predicaments.

Most of his art has a youthful slant,
so I've chosen this selection with care.

 

Markus573 - Get Them Off - Now!

Some pretty fierce situations. 

 

Markus573 -The Price Of Digital Crime

Some interesting takes on the subject of automation.

A rival to Franco in the making? 

 

Markus573 -Boy On A Bench 

A sensitive figurative study.

 

 

Markus573 - Delivery Guy In Trouble

Less sensitive, but brilliantly coloured and funny.

 

Markus573 - Hare's Justice

 

Original and richly coloured fantasy scenarios.

Human arrogance getting it's just deserts.

 

 

Markus573 - Old Local Frotteur

Not so much of the old!

Weird, slightly scary, but he probably just likes Lynx (Axe)

An interesting reminder of our younger prejudices.

 

This image reminds me of Tom of Finland's early picture of a youth caught shoplifting in a supermarket. It has a similar negative caricature of an older woman pointing out the stolen goods with her umbrella. Tom subsequently learned to love his elders.

See all his work: Markus573 at Deviant

Previously at mitchmen 

More by Markus573

 Students at Mitchell's Finishing College for the overprivileged were always surprised when, on turning 21, they were told to assemble for a group photo in short trousers, which most of them hadn't worn for years. Most of them hadn't been disciplined for years either.

Part of the mitchmen, MakeMenWearShorts Collection
(click on label below) 

 Image by Marcus573 @DeviantArt 

Previous Markus573 at mitchmen