This image, called 'Men of the Road' is a fascinating mixture of technical skill and miscalculation. One is immediately struck by the convincing sense of men being caught in a downpour at night. The wet, clinging clothing and hair of the one on the right is marvellously captured.
The scene itself, showing the two men changing the wheel of an articulated truck in a rainstorm, draws on powerful themes of masculinity - truckers working with huge machines. The glimpses of the broken-down truck rig in the background reinforce this with realistic detail, as do the faces of both men, mature and handsome, manly. It has a similar quality to the heterosexual art we see on the covers of Men's Action magazines.
The impromptu strip therefore seems in keeping, a typical laddish response to the downpour, but the eyes of the wheel-changer, staring at his buddy's sexy midriff, and his grip on the nut removal tool speak for themselves and suddenly homoerotic overtones creep in, hardly needing the elaboration provided by the huge boner in his pants. It's as though he never really looked at him before and now he sees the light.
So far, so sexy. However, closer inspection reveals all sorts of inconsistencies in the drawing. The proportions of their bodies, for example, their bottom halves don't seem to match the top and there's a subtle alteration in toning and style with the bottom half more typical of erotic fare. It's almost as if two different pictures have been merged together or perhaps that an 'innocent' straight image has been adapted for nefarious purposes. A 'might have been' classic.
The artist is Bart West
I found this image in a gay beefcake magazine Sir G (ca 1960).
2 comments:
This feels like the start of a thesis!
There's something about it that reminds me of british comic artist Bill Ward, who went on to more explicit work in the US.
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