A-Z of Fetish Artists - Silencio

Silencio probably doesn't count as a fetish artist, but I like his stylish work so much that I've dug out some fetishy stuff as an excuse to include him here.

 Silencio - Chuck S

His art features fantasy subjects in which aliens and monsters threaten and molest clean-cut heroes. The undead have never struck me as erotically desirable, but knowing the catholic tastes of fetish fans I would hesitate to generalise about that! Silencio's undead appear to have the wholly laudable aim of ripping the clothes off their handsome enemy, although they must know it can only end in a retaliatory poke with a knobbly dildo (double ended!). The gritty, square jawed look of the hero is much in vogue right now and I must admit I love it too. He even manages to make heart-motif boxers look sexy. 

Silencio - HollyKnight

'HollyKnight' features a similar character in fantasy hero garb. His casual look to one side suggests confidence and superiority but the flimsy loin cloth, barely noticeable at first, does a great job of bringing out his underlying masculinity and human weakness. 

Strong jaw-lines like this once epitomised the All-American look of the mid-20^th century, as per pin-ups like Tab Hunter and Ty Hardin and the original Superman comics. So it's a bit unexpected to see a French artist embracing it so enthusiastically. Tom of Finland was also famously fascinated by prominent jaws, but his versions sometimes over-exaggerate the horizontal line at the expense of depth, which tips them over into disappointing caricature sometimes. Silencio's men have deep, very square jaws which, if idealised, do seem more believable. 
(Of course, we must not forget Palanca's contribution to jaw-dom.)

Silencio - Frame from Dokkun Comic

This is a great captivity comic-style sketch, it's a shame it's not fully worked out in colour. The elfin-eared villain doesn't work for me but the soaring arch effect creates a terrific sense of our hero's helplessness and exposure, like he's been put on display as a museum piece.

Silencio - Beautiful Dead

The same sense of isolation and imminent danger is also brought out in 'Beautiful Dead' where two men seem to be taking a last chance of some sex before succumbing to the horde of undead. Many gay men seem to embrace a similar outlook. The left hand character, with his geeky glasses and muscular physique, frantically stripping off his clothes, is a true heir to Clark Kent. Silencio brings out a fleshy youthfulness in him which I just love. (I have posted another example like this by him at my No2 blog here). There's a marvellous sense of manly protectiveness towards his smaller companion, whose own vest ripping routine seems like an ambitious attempt to conjure up the Incredible Hulk.

Just great gay art.  

Silencio has a blog at silencio-gga

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