Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Underbeit (aka LBN)

 Underbeit - Standing Around

Underbeit's art gingerly explores the attractions of men placed in bondage and it's naive in style and content. This mature man is fondly observed but the title of the piece and his casual pose, comfortably leaning against the wall, scarcely hints at the torment potentially in store for that single supporting leg as his restraint continues.

 Underbeit - Bundle of Joy

This simple image succeeds in capturing the tightness of the captive's ropes and gagging. The upright, almost flaming hair seems to convey not just the subject's rebellious youthfulness, but also seems to underline his alarm at his predicament - and perhaps too, his own aroused response to it. 

The title seems to refer to someone else's view of this state of affairs.

Underbeit colourises many of his images like this, but they don't retain all the detail of the originals and in this example there's elevation effect in the coloured version making it less intimate and more objectified.

 Underbeit - Frustration

Another mature man and another gag. It looks like he is being given an intimidating preview of what's coming his way. Underbeit's title however suggests it's a lustful, size-obsessed gay man being teased by his captor. Or is the captor himself frustrated by the obstacle to contentment he himself has provided? i.e. the gag.

 Underbeit - Morning Strapping

This man's masculine credentials are evident in his hairy body and supplemented by the presence of a punchbag suggesting he's a fighter too, which makes the glow of his spanking and his submissive, inviting pose all the more humiliating. If you look at his left leg you'll see what I mean about the colouring process washing away detail.

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 Underbeit - Submission

Although this image is called submission it's actually a rather impressive depiction of aggression and dominance of another sporting male. Showing the attacker actually in the process of wrapping his opponent's face (presumably in a wet towel) has much more impact than simply depicting a man in a mask. It makes the struggle between the two men more immediate and real. But even if this is seen as play, the drawing also brings home quite forcefully the sinister possibility/threat of breath control which underlies those face covering and gagging fetishes.

 

 Underbeit - Snake's Punishment

I suppose I should know who Snake is but I'm content to understand his punishment here. It does not appear to have reached it's conclusion yet, there's a few inches still to go. His legs appear to be unrestrained which would probably allow him to postpone that outcome until his muscles (in both departments) begin to tire.  His face too is tightly wrapped, in rope this time. It's also secured to the post, uncomfortable as well as restraining.

Underbeit probably wouldn't qualify for this series on technique alone but his work has flashes of true erotic power and is suggestive of that never-to-be-repeated period of youthful exploration and self-examination we all go through as the mysterious and frightening possibilities of forced restraint and fetishistic fantasies unfold before us. Even Tagame and Tom of Finland must have passed this way at one point.

I can't find a website for Underbeit, any information from readers would be welcome.

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

or search my new Artist Index (tab at top of page)

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Uli

 

At first sight Uli of Berlin's work might be mistaken for Tom of Finland's. He populates his pictures with the same cops and leather men and also copies some of Tom's distinctive poster styles and even actual imagery as in the example above (see one of Tom's boot worship images here and notice for example the depiction of the leather boot folds). Despite paying this homage to Tom, however, Uli's drawing style is actually quite different, most obviously in the faces but also the detailing of the body which is less crisply defined than Tom's men.

There's an even more significant difference which is also to be seen in this seemingly innocuous boot worship scene. One of Uli's leather men has his foot raised as though about to stamp on the sub. The overall impression given by Tom's work is of a man enjoying being submissive but Uli's sub is (literally) down-trodden and licking boots the least onerous of his duties. It's altogether more serious and intense.

That intensity is apparent in this image too where the domination takes an unusually invasive form but seems to be actually driving the sexual exchange. Although we are being kept at a distance, we are aware of an earthy intimacy here, a sharing of deeply significant desires that goes beyond mere jerking off. This is quite different to Tom's world where characters sometimes seem to be detached spectators even while they are participating (see example) and only get close in order to effect penetration.

 

The majority of Uli's work takes the form of simple and uncluttered imagery, one man tormenting another, usually with no background at all although there may be a chair or box (as in the previous example) for the sub to perch on. 

What we see here tells us nothing about the character of these men, where they are or how they came to be together. There does seem to be an age difference and the older one has assumed a leather-man persona, but it has an unusually militaristic flavour making him seem more serious, more dangerous, his limits unknown. It's not even clear that his motive is sexual. 

The other man is totally naked, bound and gagged, he's ended up completely helpless and isolated. There is nothing even to suggest that he is part of a leather fraternity with conventions that might confer a degree of protection. In fact he might have been plucked off the street. Although he is excited by his rough treatment we sense that he's become apprehensive, trying to wriggle away from that wicked riding crop. His dominator coolly holds him in position with his foot - and carries on.

At one time 'leather' was exclusive, secret, the unknown, inextricably linked with dangerous sex and unpredictability. Decades of commercially driven fetish clubs (and Tom of Finland fantasies to be fair!) have reduced it's image to near-teddy bear status. In pictures like this, Uli gives a glimpse of the darker world of old

That hint of pent-up violence finds full expression in works like the one above, which though shocking is profoundly well observed and unashamedly erotic in intent. Elsewhere, Uli shows kicking, stamping, punching and throttling sometimes drawing blood (below). The violence is unmitigated by any suggestion of playfulness and not simply extreme but very direct and personal in nature, employing fists, which seems much more shocking than that administered from a distance using a whip or a paddle. If S&M is a genuine form of love-making, Uli tests that theory to the limit. These are areas Tom never ventured into (at least not in his published works) and images like this might discomfort the most ardent fetish fan.

Uli has a good eye for depth which is evident both in this picture and the last one. It lifts his best images beyond Tom's work, even if his figure drawing is less sensuous and precise than that master. The juxtapositions and acute perspective reinforce the sense of domination, envelopment and being trapped. But at the same time he creates a connection between the participants, even though there is no physical contact between them, by using eye lines. This is subtly supplemented by the careful positioning of bulging crotch and ballooning leather trouser, which stirs the lust in the best traditions of 'hidden eroticism' (see label below). At this point I wonder whether men sitting on chairs have a special erotic significance for Uli which I cannot see.

 

 

As we saw above, in some of Uli's imagery the borrowed 'Tom's Cop' character transforms into (or cynics might say, reverts to being) a Nazi-style trooper. You can't fault the effectiveness of the composition above at an artistic level but it's hard to ignore the antecedents and associations with a world that is neither pleasant or praiseworthy. In fact the styling seems to deliberately reference the art and propaganda of that era.

 

This image is quite different in content and technique and unusual in that it features a detailed background. I prefer this style and particularly the shorts, but the depiction of a sleazy urinal only serves to underline the fact that most of Uli's work does not seem sleazy at all ......

Usually captors and captives alike are immaculately dressed in leather, rubber or conventional clothing whose tightness is the only concession to lust. (I'm not a fan of masks but this smooth, clinging example is fascinating and hugely symbolic of domination). Uli's naked bodies are trim, clean and unblemished by tattoos and they are set against a background which is clinically white with no evidence of corrections or smut from the drawing process. Perhaps it's unfortunate but the word 'purity' springs to mind. On the face of it, this seems to be completely at odds with the intense sexuality and (necessarily messy) sadism he portrays. 

I can't explain this paradox, but at the end of the day Uli has produced some work which is truly original despite the superficial proliferation of Tom-like clones. It's nature is sometimes disturbing measured by modern day yardsticks, but that's arguably an artistic achievement, perhaps one that is more significant to us than animals in formaldehyde.

 I can't find a site or biography for Uli and would welcome information on him from readers. Selections of his work are posted at Sarge'sLocker and MeninTallLeatherBoots

 

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

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Letter 'U'

 After a considerable break my A-Z resumes at the letter U. Actually this letter produces pretty meagre offerings for fetish fans by the time CGI work has been excluded, which is one of the reasons why I'm running my Ulf retrospective alongside it. 

 

To get us started I am featuring the usual 'lollipop' and it's an artist who is something of a mystery (and a tongue twister) for me, Uyvari. He's obviously an accomplished artist and contributed to Drummer during it's hey day and similar publications but I know nothing else about him.

more images by Robert Uyvari here

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

mitchmen search options

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TentaclesMale blog

Regular readers will know that I have mixed feelings about the 'tentacles' genre but I occasionally feature stuff I like. This artist's work has a spark of originality in his ideas even if the technical execution is not quite as sophisticated as Baron's, who I featured in my last article.

In this first example, Vore Tentacle (as he styles himself) reproduces a clichéd tentacle pose, much beloved of practitioners of this genre - namely the seated, arms wide, legs apart position. However, his taste in victims (here based on a well known porn star) is rather more interesting  than the superheroes and shaggy, anthropomorphic characters we usually see in this type of art. The intimidating bulk of the attacking creature is assembled quite sketchily and seems to morph into it's victim in places but this manages to suggest a far more potent threat and in it's way is more convincing than conventional tentacle restraint.

Vore also subjects his unwary young men to other, more interesting and varied (if improbable) positions during their ordeals, leaving no doubt that there's a good measure of compulsion and unpleasantness going on (as opposed to the 'lie back and enjoy it' school of tentacle art). The copious fluids produced are sensuously portrayed and seem to originate from the tentacles themselves. Vore plays with the idea of insemination here.

I like the fact that the victims are allowed to keep their clothes which are simply torn open to satisfy the tentacles' yearning for access to moist, dark orifices. Vore has a predilection for sneakers and modern casual wear which he associates with trendiness and vanity in his narratives. This provides a 'hook' for the viewer to connect with.
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Both of the first two pictures reflect another regrettably common feature of tentacle-alia - the absence of any representation of the creature on the other end of the tentacles. Admittedly this allows for the imagination of the viewer to create what entity he wishes, but see how the impact is increased when Vore reveals it to be a well-known and very ferocious predator. Suddenly the probing, slobbering, distracting tentacles are the least of this unfortunate young man's worries. The sense of clumsy, erotic exploration in the earlier pictures crystallises into a more serious menace. The vulnerability of mankind during sexual intercourse is a subliminal fear which underpins many a teen horror movie but this is a nice variation.
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Vore's threats to young manhood also include a rather less substantial, bubble like creature seen here intent on enclosing and presumably absorbing it's hapless victim. The random eyes convey an disturbing impression of some sort of intelligence at work, rather than a programmed biological response.

Vore's creatures are created from elements which are superimposed rather than connected, but somehow in the best examples they fuse themselves together into believable organic entities. The mossy surroundings nicely symbolise the idea of the organic triumphing over mankind. Why I should find such imagery erotic is something of a mystery, but I do.


The eroticism is rather more obvious in this case. This jelly-like species, which uses a more conventional orifice for it's feasting, obligingly teases it's victim to a final orgasm. Perhaps this to distract him from his fate so he will struggle less. Perhaps it has found that the stimulation of the lad's sexual hormones enhances his flavour. Maybe it simply likes to extract 'boy-jus' as a tasty delicacy on the side.

At one time action films often used to feature heroes and villains trapped in quicksand or swamp and slowly sinking beneath the surface, a horrific but strangely sensuous fate. These pictures of plant absorption seem to have a similar effect.

This spiky sub-species seems more designed to repel than attract it's victims but despite that inconsistency I find this subjugation strangely fascinating. Trapped like a mummy inside the plant the victim is completely helpless and somehow the mind imagines that the external spines reflect what is happening to him inside and it's not pleasurable - or escapable! I'm quite surprised that there are no digestive juices spilling out!

Giant wasps also feature in Vore's realm and he returns here to the idea of insemination. Whether the green matter presently holding the victim in check is going to allow the time for anything to come of this mating before consuming the 'carrier' of the gelatinous eggs is open to conjecture, but that's not much consolation to the the poor young man in the firing line. The imagery of weirdness, sex and danger here is particularly acute and in the best horror movie tradition it's set off by a humorous detail, the 'laddering ' of the young man's tights as they are ripped open. That's an offence against his vanity too.

Not too many subliminal messages here but this picture has the great virtue of simplicity and focus. It isn't necessary to show the tentacles attacking every part of the body simultaneously and those flailing feet are as expressive as the most animated of faces. 

What a way to go!

Vore Tentacle's blog at http://tentaclesmale.blogspot.co.uk
 has disappeared now

The Skill of Baron

 This is a fairly well-known image by Baron from 2004. It's an interesting variation on my long-running wedge theme if you like, but apart from the obvious interest of the cop's medieval-style predicament, I have always loved this picture for it's sexy use of clothing. The uniform lying on the floor points out a key element of the storyline, but would that all prisons adopted this inventive convict-striped underwear! The picture below illustrates just how much skill Baron applies to creating his images.

This picture shows how much work Baron did on the figures, subtly enhancing their physiques and then dressing them to fit his vision for the picture. You can see that the 'cop' actually started out life as a reclining figure and by simply turning him upright Baron creates a vicious arm suspension torture that hardly needs to be supplemented by the spiked riding bar. Looking closely you can see the where the overlays are but the light and shadow on the vest is impressively crafted.

Notice the 'key' motif reappearing, we saw it before in an earlier article Just Out Of Reach

My other articles about Baron's work :

The Art of Baron

Baron's Wedge

Baron & Sherwin - Doubly Intimidating