Tribute to Stan of Sweden - 1

The photographs of Stan of Sweden enjoyed a brief vogue during the flowering of beefcake mags in the 1960's. Like Basil Clavering of Royale Studio, he made much use of everyday clothing which gave his muscular models a sense of place in the everyday world instead of isolating them in some unreachable place reserved for the Gods of Physique. Today he seems largely forgotten, this article pays tribute to his stunning male art.

Bo Johansson by Stan of Sweden

Bo Johansson was one of Stan's most popular models.

Boyish looks, but a stunning bodybuilder's physique.

The cap may have gone out of fashion but not the muscles.

Bo Johansson by Stan of Sweden

Bo's quizzical expression here is priceless.

It makes him look like an innocent young man, up from the country,

uncomfortable at being asked to strike the artificial, body-builder pose.

Hans Brown by Stan of Sweden

 Hans Brown looks away, also as though embarrassed about his muscles being on display.

Perhaps not realising how his rebellious, thumbs-in-pockets pose and indrawn abs

 increases the erotic effect.

These pale jeans were a hallmark of Stan's work, they add a casual, improvised air. 

The loose fit on this model suggest they are not the his own attire.

Kent Strom by Stan of Sweden

In this image the dipping waistline and dramatic lighting became something of a classic.

The open pose (another body-builder standard) seems like an invitation from the darkness.

Stan did not shy away from a hairy torso but made a feature of it. 

The side-ties on the model's trunks are dated but still sexy, just one tug!

Hans Inge by Stan of Sweden

Stan didn't use posing pouches (as far as I know) but did get some of his models naked.

Here again the arty lighting deliberately accentuates the hairy regions,

including the lower abdomen, which was daring for it's time.

Kurt Peters by Stan of Sweden

Stan did not restrict himself to body-builders.

This model has a more 'natural' build, though not lacking a pleasing shape.

His older face, hairiness and seaman's tattoos suggest ruggedness and experience.

The clean look of his jeans, though drawn tight, seems reassuringly respectable*.

One of my personal favourites

(*But we should remember that in the 1960's, jeans were far from universal wear, their tight sexiness was solely the province of the rebellious young. The white or pale blue variants did not accentuate wear and sexy creases like the indigo ones did, but were regarded as daring and very showy in a way that was rather disreputable for a man)

Niels Anton by Stan of Sweden

This looks like a tough, working man too, although he's more muscularly built.

The ice hook adds an overt edge, which is unusual in Stan's work. 

The pale jeans have been swapped for a corduroy pair (alluringly tactile in their day). 

The tight fit suggests they might be the model's own clothes.

The waistline abruptly interrupts the line of the model's torso, bluntly obscuring his nakedness. 

But the cut-off across the line of his abs is teasing, with a hint of pubic hair escaping.

Lower down, the opening of his crotch is clearly visible below a modest bulge.

Niels Anton by Stan of Sweden

In this image the naked torso seems a more natural complement to the jeans.

They showcase his manly, broad-shouldered physique. 

His slightly youthful face with aspirational 'tache-let and knowingly coiffured hair

is a marvellous portrait of emerging manhood.

However, his open crotch, the shape of the hook and the way he is holding it 

creates a electric erotic undercurrent which is hard to define but unmistakeable.

Notice the hair showing under his arm-pit.

Sivert Olsen by Stan of Sweden

The frightened expression of this young bodybuilder performing a side pose under harsh lighting makes a thought-provoking complement to Niels Anton's scary hook above. Stan had a talent for capturing the uncertainty of young men.

Stan took many conventional images of body-builders posing in competitions, which is no doubt how he won their confidence and was able to persuade them to pose 'out of their trunks' for more interesting imagery. There's an impression here that Sivert is in the process of loosening his side-ties and about to take his trunks off, but Stan usually wanted these muscular models to put clothes on for his photos.

Bo Johansson by Stan of Sweden

In this image Stan catches Bo Johansson in a pose that is the epitome of awkward, uncertainty.

The model seems to be pouting in irritation and frustration,

but he's unwittingly showing his obedience to Stan's wishes.

This isn't a body-builder's pose, there's a hint of captivity about it.

Sven Eric by Stan of Sweden.

Stan seems to have a trick for drawing out the hairiness of a man's body, an oil or water spray perhaps. 

Maybe that is responsible for Sven Erick's expression of saintly patience and forbearance here.

Coupled with the oversize jeans, it creates an impression of him being manipulated and controlled.

That is the true reality, but the gay viewer can vicariously enjoy the illusion of submissivness.

Tord Eric by Sven of Sweden

Stan's male imagery is sexily unique in many ways, but he joins the beefcake mainstream 

with this image of Tord Eric in a US Navy cap, AMG-style.

However the sweeping dip of the model's trunks creates a stronger image than a pouch would.

The original image may have given a better idea of it's contents!

In Part 2, I look at his images which echo themes from other photographers.

The Bondage Leanings of Michael Stokes

Michael Stokes is perhaps best known for his calendar style images of uniformed men

 and in particular (for me) some great shots of the luscious Colin Wayne
(who sadly has yet to offer up his body to a rope-master!)

Fireman Colin Wayne

However, sprinkled amongst this photographer's work are some evocative bondage references

This rather genteel restraint of Attila Toth harks back to the coded messages of 50's/60's vintage beefcake put out by AMG and WPG. This model wears more clothing than they did then, but that does not detract from the image and has the effect of placing his imagined captivity more in the present day, 'real world'. The model's lean, clean cut, boyish look is somewhat reminiscent of Tin-Tin style adventures. His light build and youthfulness is contrasted with a heavyweight rope that would secure an ocean liner, thereby implying an predicament of some severity, which is nicely reflected in his slightly mystified expression.

 This example is a dramatic contrast in technique, with the model clad in a seriously sexy grubby jockstrap (and dare I say moist? - click to expand!). He's blindfolded and secured with rope that's more believable than Atilla's, even if the knots aren't!. His bindings are configured asymmetrically for artistic effect but it opens up his torso to the looming electrical monstrosity towering over him, which seems to represent an undefined but rather unpleasant threat, and judging by the way he's reeling away, it already has him in it's thrall. It's like a 1950's B-movie with invisible beams but the modernistic villainy is set alongside an elaborately carved chair. It's worthy of The Inquisition, but with an upholstered seat, probably unsuitable for serious torture exercises. 

I haven't identified the model yet (do any of you know?)
Answer in comments below

 Rodney Santiago seems to have wound up in the same dangerous place, three years later according to the dates on the photos. However, there's a distinct sense that the danger has gone, the model seems quite relaxed in restraints that seem tokenistic and almost girly. 

The imagination has to work hard on this one but we can feast on Rodney's buns.

 In these two images Stokes conjures up a whole world of captivity with Kyle Clark as the hapless victim. His slightly gaunt-looking face (no doubt a by-product of engineering that amazingly cut torso) gives him a mature and slightly 'hard' appearance which is the direct opposite of Attila's boyish appeal above. To me this suggests a worthy captive, a more equal contest between man and chains, 'the Beast being tamed' if you like. The second picture, where a mask is added, amplifies that idea and if you switch between the two pictures you'll see Kyle seems to relax/droop into his restraints in a submissive way that is surprisingly erotic.

These two pictures play with captivity in general.
In both cases the element of nudity introduces a distinctly erotic flavour but not the same one. 

Bryant Wood's chain gang convict on the left would barely register on the sexual senses were it not for the spectacular, gleaming torso artfully revealed. Convicts are not meant to look like this! One can only conjecture the effect on the other prisoners but it's as if Bryant is sadly contemplating how all the effort put into that physique has only made it into fodder for hard labour. 

The right hand image is quite different. With total nudity implied, this is a caged victim of a very different hue, alert and anxiously awaiting the attentions of his captor, which are not expected to be benign. I've commented before on the difficulty of making cages and prison bars look erotic, but the photographer has made a decent job of it here, with the help of a striking model and a tantalising glimpse of his pubes.

Lest you doubt the erotic intent of Michael Stokes' experiments with bondage!

This image will probably still be posted on the internet when all of us have gone.

It's Pure Lust Dust.

I think the model is JR Bronson but will accept corrections! 
If I'm right Michael Stokes has certainly brought out the best in him

This image is simply magnificent on all sorts of levels. It isn't really depicting bondage but flirts with spread-eagle restraint and crucifixion alike - or even descent of an angel. The loin cloth contributes mischievously to those associations, but it is in any case a garment that I find erotically interesting with all sorts of historical and cultural connections that fire the imagination.

It took two brave men to make this picture, the photographer and the model. 

It doesn't have the same intrinsic beauty as the preceding picture and fetishists will look upon the result with different eyes to the rest of the world, but no-one could deny the powerful impact of the clever, pseudo-medical imagery. It graphically spells out the pain of an invisible sort of restraining bondage, one which most of us will never have to experience. Great stuff. Good job.

We finish with this cover of one of Michael Stoke's publications 

which returns to a more classical theme of Herculean pulling.

The straining makes all the difference!

See more at Michael Stokes Photography

also Stokes Photo on Twitter and other social media,

Michael Stokes on tumblr