You're Going Down! - 5 final

 

Blue Blazes - Prison Law

Any prisoner fortunate enough to have a safe cell to himself, or to share it with an undemanding cell-mate, is nevertheless still liable to assault in shared, secluded areas of the prison, like the communal toilets - as shown in the previous post and in the Blue Blazes picture above. This fate is particularly likely if the unfortunate inmate has offended those who rule the roost in these parts. The artist authentically includes an accomplice carrying out the necessary role of keeping a look-out for the guards, although he seems to have quite sensibly posted himself in a position where he can see all the action as well

DgerzeeBoy - Jail Lust

DgerzeeBoy's lookout takes his responsibilities more seriously but still manages to look cool. One would imagine this hunk must be popular with the other inmates, who wants to share his cell? At the other end of the scale, the emotion of the poor convict getting a ragging is depicted in equally impressive manner. This is one of my favourite artists, he does terrific faces.
archive of DgerzeeBoy art 
(he doesn't seem to be on Renderosity or Renderotica anymore)

 

Rader - Prison Attack

Arguably the most scary prison attack of all the samples featured in this series. The prison bars rule out any chance of escape and the semi-cartoon-y faces do little to dispel the threatened horror. We are left to conjecture about motives but prison etiquette is complex and non-intuitive, easy to breach. The captive's well-coiffured hair and soft facial features might suggest just such naivety. But he's also a rather succulent, unusual tit-bit as jail-bait goes. There's a disguised clue to this more mundane explanation just over the captive's shoulder (see also 'hidden erotica' label).

Rader employs an interesting variety of styles in his work, this has a mid-20th century, boy's comic book look that seems to have rather innocent connections for this subject matter.

I also discuss this picture in my A-Z article on Brad Rader

 
Ryuji Prison Scene

Ryuji brings out the clandestine nature of these encounters even more powerfully. He shows the tight uniformity which is normally imposed on prisoners but is not very evident in the other images in this series. This element of men under discipline creates an entirely different atmosphere of camaraderie and shared experience. The lookout's hankering for a piece of the action illustrates this, there's no obvious suggestion of coercion here  - unless the Japanese script supplies it.

see My A-Z article on Matsugoroh
 

Etienne - Jail Cleaner

In sharp contrast to the intense, aggressive encounters depicted by other artists, Etienne's take on prison power is much less physical, more psychological and rather satisfying. This bully is almost aristocratic in his dominance and while the young puppy is humiliated, the other inmates carry on washing as though nothing is happening. It looks like the warden is going to be no help to him either. The natty tiling on the floor is an unexpected 'home from home' luxury for a prison, only a gay man could have drawn this! Etienne's crazy perspectives are down to this being a wall mural.

(My A-Z article on Etienne)

 
Link - Out of Solitary

And now for something completely different by the late and rather wonderful artist, 'Link'.

There's clearly an established pecking order in this prison but no-one seems to mind as the alpha male is welcomed back from a spell in solitary by his dick-starved cell-mates. He seems entirely unabashed or chastened by his punishment which has probably enhanced his credentials in the eyes of his fellow convicts.

Link's hooped, chain-gang, prison garb and communal cells belong to a completely different age to our other exhibitors. They are more like Summer Camp dormitories and POW detention centres. His are places where a civilised gay culture prevails among the inmates. He populates them with lush muscularity and sensually slim young men ready and able to make the most of their judicial sentences.

My A-Z article on Link

In this series I have focused on the view of jail as an inescapable, dangerous place where fear reigns and sexual predators and dominant bullies do as they please, sometimes for quite inexplicable reasons. Some would see this as a microcosm (albeit exaggerated) of the real world and converting it to sexual fantasy - in all it's violent horror in some cases - is a classic psychological trick for coping with unpleasant reality and fears.
 
There are whole host of other images where the exploitation and abuse is inflicted not by fellow prisoners but by the Prison Guards themselves, the uniformed figures of state authority. This is a very different psychological scenario and I suspect appeals to a different psyche. It's a topic for a future article perhaps.

The Link example with which I closed above belongs to a third and entirely more optimistic group, where prison is seen as a place of opportunity, where men can pass their time of incarceration enjoying each other as a respite from (and in defiance of) the boredom and inconveniences of enforced discipline and institutional restraint. Some gay men have always lived this way - despite the considerable dangers sometimes.

Three different gay world views but in reality these are 3 slices cut from the same loaf of life, just buttered differently according to taste and situation. 

 Read this series from the start  

You're Going Down ! - 4

Kalabro - Sex in Prison

Kalabro's depiction of the intimidation and violence of prison life is very graphic indeed. This is a nightmare in the shower to rival 'Psycho'!. The power of these images owes a lot to the way Kalabro has drawn them, not just the subject matter and the words. He shows typically exaggerated, muscular legs, flailing helplessly in the first frame above and opened out wide in the second, they don't look realistic but they really underline what is going on. Compare the intensity of the interaction here and the sense of struggle with the highly polished but near-static tableau of my last post.

There's a degree of kinship with the drawings of 'The Hun' whose best images generate a similar sense of excitement - although he tends to rely more heavily on the words. The young convict waiting in the wings is very reminiscent of  that artist's long-suffering heroes - a tribute perhaps?

Kalabro is an very under-rated artist for my money

(see also my A-Z articles on Kalbro and 'The Hun')

continued here

Read this series from the start  

You're Going Down! - 3

Just came across this prison sex comic today, it neatly sums up the debate so far, although the philosophical analysis of whether the prisoners are really more free than their guards seems a trifle absurd in the circumstances.

Class Comics don't give much credit to their artists, it looks a bit like Logan

(see My A-Z article on Logan)

Reposted from Roid and Rants

This series continues here

 Read this series from the start 

You're Going Down! - 2

Second in a series on gay fantasies of jail life (see Part 1)

 

Prison Scene by HandsOn Studio

This picture seems to show an old lag irresistibly drawn to the younger man who is sharing his cell. One can imagine it's early morning and he's woken up feeling randy.  At this thoughtful moment we can't tell if the object of his desire is asleep or seductively surrendering to the investigation. He's younger but obviously old enough or he wouldn't be in the same cell. If you notice how he seems to have shaved his lower regions and how his gel-ruffled head hair is bleached a different colour to his armpits, you get the impression he's not an innocent either! 

I'd be glad of any information on this artist from my readers

 The Amir - Prison Bear

This young man's introduction to prison life is particularly comprehensive at the hands - and feet of a relaxed, hairy mentor. The young tearaway finally learning about discipline and obedience from an older, wiser and not unkindly man.

It's not obvious at first but there's an odd discontinuity between the upper body and legs of the bear in this picture. There's another disjunction between the left and right hand side of his body as well. The left side (as we look) seems to be leaning forward as though to restrain the younger man's hands behind his back. The right side, chin resting casually on fist, seems to be just enjoying his pupil's first attempts at servicing. The probing, groping feet at front and rear belong to two other distinct moments again. 

It's as though all these different actions at different stages of their encounter have been compressed into one image. As though the picture has evolved as it is being drawn, the artist imagining the scene progressing in his mind's eye and capturing it's development on paper. In this way he's succeeded in capturing time (possibly unwittingly). As our eyes travel round the picture we can recreate that changing scene for ourselves as our focus shifts from one element to another around the central kneeling, unchanging figure, which is the 'captive' recipient of all this attention. This multidimensional effect is not a million miles away from the aims of the experimental art of the Cubists and other early 20th century art movements, but it's much more accessible to us. 

Quite an achievement, even if it was unintentional!

see also my A-Z article on The Amir

 

Prison Scene by Telamon

It seems you don't have to be young to be propositioned in jail. This sweaty, hairy specimen doesn't look like he's an innocent - or a pushover either - but he's being intimidated here. It looks like he's being invited to do some cleaning up for his dark-skinned cell-mate and refusal is not going to be an option.

Much of Telamon's work is way too dark for this blog, but I like the atmosphere of this simple image. His CGI technique is not ultra-sophisticated but he cleverly uses perspective and the close up view of muscular body parts to enhance the impression of dominance and dangerous latent power in a claustrophobic, confined space. 

(But I can't resist pointing out the mild blooper with the bars, bottom left)

 

Prison Scene by Aztec Marco

 This artist gets down to the bare essentials, there's no sense of conflict here, in fact the warm colours are cosy and romantic, but if you study the faces it's a determined and raunchy encounter with satisfaction being demanded all round. The sparsely detailed cell creates a sense of quiet isolation but the cold light burning in the passage beyond is a reminder that this is purely temporary. 

This artist's economical and atmospheric CGI style is markedly different to Telamon's (above).

Michael Kirwan - Jail Time

The prison warders are never far away and these two seem to have waited until they were good and ready to interrupt this little amorous scene. Kirwan's depiction of their excitement is less than subtle, however. The restraining actions of the second guard suggests there may be an amicable outcome although the two prisoners can still expect to be given more hard time.

The blue highlights on the naked boys skins are a recognised academic highlighting technique. The blue is the complementary colour to the orangey tone of the flesh. They are visually linked. If you stare hard at a bright blue object and then look away you will see an orange 'after burn' of the image in your vision. You will see a similar technique used in still life paintings where a red apple is typically given green highlighting to accentuate it's colour contrast. I'm not sure the effect works here however!

 Xavier Gicquel - Jail Virgin

The warders are content to be enthusiastic spectators in this case. Few would want to tackle this tattooed and well-endowed hard case without good reason, particularly when his passions have been inflamed by illicit porn on his TV (illicit also?). Pity then the young innocent, whose clean, sporty looking trainers testify to his hitherto virtuous state, but who is about to get his first taste of the seamier side of prison.

Link to my A-Z article on Gicquel

Prison Art by Ephorox

Ephorox takes a more benign view of the lustful cellmate suggesting that beneath those scary haircuts and muscular bodies these boys are pussycats really.

 

 Esposito - Prison Punk 2

Even the bars of prison cannot contain the lust of lonely men, not sharing a cell is no guarantee of safety. Craig Esposito's account of a frustrated opportunist seizing his chance is full of drama but the mechanics of this coupling would be harder to execute than the image suggests!

Link to my A-Z article on Esposito

 

Broderick Prison Scene

Broderick's version of the same scenario is slightly more realistic. It's a pretty picture with two cute guys in action and I love the underwear details. The pastel colouring is more reminiscent of a kids play area than a House of Correction but perhaps that makes their balancing on the prison grille as though it were a climbing frame entirely appropriate!

The saucy pin-up calendar on the wall tells us these guys are straight really, but suffering from a  lack of female company. It's also a reminder that they are in for a lengthy stretch without getting any. Interestingly, not one of the jail images I have used in this series to date includes lines chalked on the wall, a motif traditionally used in cartoons to mark off the interminable days of isolation. Obviously time flies when you have the right company!

Series continued here..........

Read this series from the start 

You're Going Down! - 1

Jonathan - Fresh Meat

It's a favourite interrogation technique in trashy Police and Detective tales to frighten inexperienced suspects and petty offenders with the horrors of being put in jail, with the attendant prospect of being sexually assaulted by a fellow inmate. Gay artists have naturally seized upon that perversely empowering idea for their fantasies. Above, Jonathan, who specialises in the foolish misdeeds of youth and it's painful consequences, takes his customary humorous view of the scenario. In this case the cops have already meted out summary punishment which is sure to make the threat cruelly self-fulfilling since everyone knows there's nothing more enticing to a cell-full of bored men than a pair of tenderised buttocks. 

(A-Z article on Jonathan's work)

 

Eddie Chin - Nudist in Prison

Eddie Chin points out how even the infringement of local by-laws on public decency can lead to dire consequences for an impulsive youth. Unfortunately he committed this indiscretion while Mum and Dad were away for the weekend, so they are unable to post bail for him at the moment. 

Just wait 'til lights out!  

(Eddie Chin article)

Tom of Finland - Prison Life (1976)

Tom's more mature detainee seems to have also suffered rough handling at the hands of the prison guard (going by his ripped clothes). It's already got his hunky, new cell-mate excited about meeting him. Tom's resident convict seems rather less intimidating than the guard and much less scary than the men in Jonathan's reception party above. The images that follow in this series show an unsuccessful attempt at seducing the new man (it is less than satisfying in visual terms too).

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Tom of Finland - Prison Life (1976)

 Tom's artistic fire is rekindled however when the new arrival baulks at penetration and appeals to the guard, seated outside and observing the proceedings with some interest. Needless to say, he is not going to be the saviour of the unfortunate prisoner, but beyond making this clear Tom doesn't treat us to the gory detail. 

It's not my subject here but Tom's jail scenarios always focus on the attractions and actions of the Guards rather than the inmates - it's their uniforms of course. This may explain the lapse of inspiration in the cell seduction scenes of this story. However, this little series of 6 images (dating from the early days of Gay Liberation) seems to have been deliberately restrained from ultimate explicitness due to publishing constraints, witness the absence of visible erections and a proper porny ending. It would be nice to imagine the existence of another 14 images making up a Kake-style book of 20 and properly charting the outcome for us.

(Tom of Finland Links)

 

Etienne - Prison

Etienne's envisioning of our scenario (above) shows rather well a callow but rather lusciously-proportioned youth gloomily contemplating where his misdeeds outside have brought him, after meeting his Waterloo at the hands (etc) of a delighted old lag on the inside.

 (Etienne A-Z article)

Madeira Desouza - First Night in Prison 

Madeira, like Jonathan, envisages the prisoners arranging a reception party for the newcomer. In fact the predatory homosexuals in this prison are so well organised that they have the keys to open the cells. Despite the title, it looks as if it's a glorious, sunny day outside - but nevertheless a gloomy prospect inside for our novice. 

(Madeira Desouza website)

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Domino - Traded To Diego

If you think that's a scary vision, get a load of Domino's imagining, which depicts in no uncertain terms the forceful subjugation of the new boy and develops the idea of his being designated as the 'bitch' of an individual inmate or in this case an entire wing - for as long as his attractions last anyway. 

Notice how a gratuitous racial element is deliberately introduced in the Hispanic name of the top. This is from 1990, but if you think we don't do that sort of stereotyping anymore have another look at Eddie Chin's picture above.

(A-Z article on Domino)

  

The Hun - unknown title

 

You can rely on The Hun to joyfully ignore political correctness altogether and at his 'Shady Nook' Correction Centre the new, young inmate is shared generously between the guards and the substantially black prison population. One hears of all sorts of items being smuggled into prisons - files, weapons, phones, drugs etc - but this is the first incidence I've seen of anal balls.

('The Hun' A-Z article)

This series continues here

Ulf Retrospective - 2003

Ulf - Time Out

As far as my taste is concerned, 2003 was a good year for Ulf and this picture is one of the highlights of it. I suspect there's a photographic basis for the figure, which is exceptionally convincing given the ambitious viewpoint. Ulf's success is to place him in a remote, overgrown corner of a prison or barracks to suffer alone for his misdemeanour (or 'repent at leisure' as the euphemism has it). In this naked, vulnerable state even the trailing vegetation creeping down the wall acquires on a sinister air and the shadowing of the corner create the illusion that there's a deep drop beneath him if he should contemplate escaping.

  

 

Ulf - High Tension

Predicament Bondage is one of Ulf's particular interests and this brilliant image seems to have been bred from the same back-breaking inspiration as the first example above. However, you can see that in this case the details of the restraint arrangements have been entirely conjured from the imagination.

The graceful, curving line of the captive's body is both artistic and erotic and the angling of the extended anal post (holding him at full stretch) cuts across that curved line quite sharply, suggesting awkwardness and discomfort even before you think through what is happening. It looks oddly improvised though. 

The cantilevered board on which the subject is balanced adds a nice element of precariousness to the whole predicament. This ambitious design would pose a serious construction challenge to the average DIY leather queen dungeon master. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the close proximity of the ground mitigates the danger of collapse, only those dangling balls would really suffer. Which is to say that the visible closeness of the ground underneath him (and the far wall too) lessens the dramatic suspense compared with the first image.

Ulf - Unrestrained Guard (not Ulf's title?)

The misuse of power by authority figures is often a subject for gay fantasies but usually it's the Police who are depicted in this way and you will see numerous examples in this blog if you click on the 'Cops' label in the sidebar. Ulf is more interested in the unrestrained power of Military officers and NCO's over their recruits. It's a theme that recurs frequently in his work and this is one of his more polished examples. This striking image is a reworking of one of Etienne's pictures from the series 'Navy Grease' (shown below). Ulf's version lacks his abundance of military (naval) iconography but is rather more successful in conveying the enviable masculinity of the 'top'. The representation of the figures and the interweaving of their limbs has the same impressive, high degree of realism as the pictures above. There are some disturbing elements to this image including the intimidating use of the gun of course but also the jerrycan lurking in the corner (although this may simply be an comical allusion to 'refueling').

Etienne - Navy Grease 05

The inspiration for Ulf's picture above, this series contained some of Etienne's best drawing.

 

  Ulf - Beg For It

A fairly well known piece which suggests it's popular. Jerking off a man who is restrained and cock-tied is a basic fetish fantasy and Ulf's image is simple and direct, which helps make it memorable. We've drifted away from the photo-realism of the preceding pictures (note for example the over-exaggerated neck/shoulder muscles on the right) but Ulf's depiction of the hand encircling the cock actually out-does most photographs with a tremendous sense of space and volume which captures the tingly dramatic 'moment' of that sensual enclosure!). 

The captive man is shown astride a 'horse'. It's not clear if he is tied to it, but it's intrusion between his legs and his balls resting on the top are part of the attraction of the picture. This qualifies as 'Riding The Wedge' I guess, although the flat-top is a beginners grade only.

Ulf - Bad Boi

Ulf does plenty of spanking images but this is the first one I have included in my selections. It's a nicely balanced composition forming an triangular arrow shape pointing to the left which parallels the direction of the movement in the picture and also symbolises the psychological dominance of the spanker and (one might suppose) the penetration to follow, if the poster on the wall is anything to go by.

The willowy flow of the spanker's body is not untypical of Ulf's work, artfully posed and pleasant but it does also convey a sense that he is winding up and means business. His slender, youthful appearance contrasts with the chunkier shape and earthier features of the submissive, kneeling man, unexpectedly reversing the roles you might expect them to take. The carefully contrived interlacing of his feet and cock with the bed end provides an extra element of humiliation (and punishment?) for him.

Ulf's title is less helpful than usual in interpreting the scene. The kit bag maybe suggests a return from leave and a buddy caught out. It doesn't seem to be an abuse of power scenario - unlike the next picture.

Ulf - My New Boss

The triumph of age and experience over youthful enthusiasm and innocence is less of a foregone conclusion in the modern age than in past times and has become a tricky subject for fantasies too. You won't find any political correctness in this picture and placing it in a civilian context rather than a military one makes that even more apparent, but you have to give Ulf credit here for creating an overweight slob who is not entirely unattractive and a power situation that is erotic for both young and old alike. It looks like there's a time challenge here that is being failed - to the embarrassment of the hapless, new employee. One of Ulf's less-than-subtle signs on the door implies there's another 'part' down on his rota for servicing this morning.

 Ulf - Red Neck Party

The storyline of Campers caught up in something nasty in the woods has some pretty grim, cinematic antecedents (including 'Deliverance' and 'The Blair Witch Project' for example) not to mention the entire Greasetank oeuvre of cruel, marauding bikers. These works use the remoteness from civilisation or from any source of help when in the wilderness to generate suspense and horror. Ulf's picture therefore acquires a sinister tone by association from the outset, posing the question, where is this going to end? His clever evocation of a sunny, summer evening (or sunrise) bathing the scene in pleasant, warm light may be intended to dispel this chain of thought - or is it an ironic mockery of the nature-loving campers? 

These red necks seem well versed in the ways of the gay fetish scene but although the campers are sharing a tent it's not clear where they stand in that department. Anyway, they seem to be coping. I suppose you might speculate about who owns the sneakers and who the boots, which seem to contrast two, entirely different lifestyles. I've chosen this image for it's originality in story-telling and it's amusing use of iconic Ulf objects scattered around - Bud bottle, oil lamp etc.

 Ulf - AWOL Bound To Serve

Ulf has a great fondness for military settings but this Hospital variation is unusual. In the absence of visible injuries to the patient it appears to be a  Clinic for Punishment and Thought Correction which is quite mitchmen-esque, hence it's inclusion here. It's the situation that makes this image interesting, the AWOL soldier is sucked back (!) into the ruthlessly, exploitative military machine, handcuffed to the bed to ensure his compliance and his horror is as obvious as his sexual excitement. The erotic 'predicament' here arises not so much from his physical bondage as the institutional captivity to which he is being subjected.

There is quite a big difference in technical style between these last two 'story-telling' images and the more artistic, realistic ones at the start of this article. The doll-like soldier is a world apart from those predicament captives and together with the underwear-clad orderly(?) provides an interesting progress report on the depiction of clothing in Ulf's pictures.

Ulf - I Know What You Need

I can only be describe this picture as a study in vanity, arrogance and contempt, underlined by the self-justifying, porn-inspired title. This self-important Marine has not even undressed to service his partner and despite the trickle of piss there is really no emotional connection between the two men. At this moment he isn't even looking at him but chooses to pose on an ammunition box in a self-consciously masculine manner for our benefit - inadvertently revealing a craving for admiration of his ample physical attractions that apparently he has been unable to earn from the men around him - at least to a degree that satisfies him. (The calandar on the wall perhaps is indicative of his lack of popularity!)

The latest recipient of his juices seems to epitomise that unsatisfying response, unsurprisingly perhaps given the humiliating treatment he is getting. He is totally passive, detached and disinterested, modestly concealing his organ (with a truly classical pose) and turning away as if he is itching to leave. Perhaps he's here under duress or has had enough maybe, exhausted by the use made of him or just plain drunk. 

It's possible to read and enjoy this picture simply as a classic humiliation scene. Maybe that is all Ulf intended to portray. But for me it is rather too successful in mining that vein and the absence of any signs of accompanying lust (or pleasure) removes the eroticism. Perhaps we should have arrived 5 minutes ago! As it stands, it turns into a rather bleak reading of casual sex and impaired affections in an invented gay community, that is uncomfortably (and perhaps unintentionally) authentic.

In this essentially straight-forward picture Ulf demonstrates his growing maturity as an artist. The 'in-line' arrangement of the figures and the balancing of their knee-bent postures facing in different directions is cohesive and visually satisfying as well as servicing the narrative. His treatment of clothing here is the best we have seen in these articles so far.

 ******

continued with 2004

(To read these articles from the beginning start with Ulf Retrospective part 1 ) 

Ulf has a blog The Ulfian which is an interesting mix of his art, political comment and selected porn.

There's also an Ulfian fan club on Google Groups which you have to join (it's free). 

The older Fan Club on Yahoo! Groups seems to be inactive now.