1
Adam's drawing style is quite sensual and his characters have handsome,
youthful faces and chunky bodies which I find quite pleasing. I’d hesitate to
describe him as a fetish artist but S&M scenes occur quite regularly in his
work. As you can see in the example above, it’s not exactly tame stuff and
there’s no ambiguity about the sexual component either. However, the
attackers’ boyish smiles suggest it’s intended as boisterous fun and
experimentation, an initiation rather than intense sadism.
2
This drawing has a similar theme, the young novice eager to learn the
ropes from a more experienced and older man. It’s a common desire during early
manhood and a subject much in vogue of late in porn circles but they don’t
capture anything like the sense of a young man’s awkwardness, excitement and
inexperience that you can see in Adam’s picture. Notice how the youth gazes longingly
(and seductively) into the eyes of his (seriously sexy) instructor, leaning back
towards him, seeming to resist the pull of invisible ties around his wrists, as
though seeking an encouraging final embrace before his test begins. The two
figures seem to be physically very close to each, creating a sense of intimacy
and sexual desire that is surprisingly powerful. I imagine Adam got very hot
drawing this!
This drawing has a simplicity and cleanness which is quite different to
the rough sketching of the first example. It’s less dramatic on that account,
but it suits the subject, where the focus is the excitement and anticipation
inside the head of the youth. I tend to think of this simpler, elegant style as
being earlier, but there’s nothing immature about the technique, the
outstretched pointing arm for example is beautifully drawn although there does
seem to be some miscalculation on limb sizes.
The unsubtle placing of the nightstick is an example of hidden eroticism
which is an unexpected element in an obvious portrayal of sexual fetish. Jack
Bozzi is normally placed in the 70’s, when gay liberation began to take hold.
These pictures are a glimpse into a bizarre, transitional world of heterosexual
censorship where portraying erotic, leather fetish and domination is
acceptable, but sexual display or interaction is not.
3
This muscular two on one is
rather more intimidating and aggressive than the usual spanking scene and also
has its ambiguities. Is this a hand spanking or a belting – or both? The
foreground figure is beautiful creation and as well as brandishing a belt, he is
also positioned to take advantage of that enticing ass, although this composition
doesn’t have the same sense of intimacy as other Adam pictures here. The artist
has settled instead for placing his right hand in a place which is so unsubtle
and unhidden that you can only conclude that the publishing restrictions were
tumbling down at this stage.
4
Another cross-generational
image that is exceptionally well drawn with bodies, clothing and faces, that
are not only lifelike but erotically appealing. I think this is a beautiful
picture, particularly in the portrayal of the awkward younger man. The lines of
his limbs are an artistic lesson in erotic muscle contours. The flailing pose
is extremely contrived but erotic in its own right and successfully conveys a
(disguised) humiliating and probably painful position in another man’s grip. The
hidden erotic subterfuge in this picture is not confined to this ingredient. At
first sight he seems to be naked but closer inspection it seems he is wearing
swimming trunks or underwear. The glare of poor reproduction is partly
responsible but the waistline of his trunks clearly disappears as it crosses
his buttocks suggesting a deliberately ambiguous intention. Notice the
positioning of the young man’s right knee too.
In this picture the characters
lean into each other, suggesting an intimate proximity and appear to be almost embracing
just as in my second example. It’s a surprisingly erotic effect.
5
There’s a fair degree of
contrivance in this cowboy bondage picture too with the familiar ingredients of
mentor and young apprentice working out with limbs subtly entwined to suggest
something slightly more connected than just sex. A tree placed between open
legs is a basic Freudian device (see also Tom of Finland’s pictures) but ball rubbing
on rough bark seems a highly inventive twist. With erections like these and
bound up genitalia, the need to disguise the strategically-placed phallic stump
cum stalagmite is another puzzle.
6
My last example returns to
Adam’s more familiar, sketchy style with a kidnapping/punishment subject.
Although unpolished, these pictures are no less interesting as erotica,
substituting drama and movement for visual sensuality.
In a general male art survey Adam would be in my top echelon. However, this
selection shows that his fetish credentials are not to be sniffed at either. His
handsome, boyish faces and jovial participants don’t quite ring true but were a
necessary cloak in less tolerant times. The compensation is the glorious
inventiveness of ideas spawned to circumvent the restrictions.
Article Revised Feb 2015
For other articles in this series click on the A-Z label below or search by artist name.
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