Targeted

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

More Art by Oliver Frey

This article adds to my original A-Z review of Oliver Frey's work

Frey - Tennis Victory

 This image was my first glimpse of Oliver Frey's incredible talent for portraying the energetic wrestling of men gripped by lust. The image of bare buttocks pressed against the net still sends a shiver up my spine! In 1970's Britain, visualising gay sex taking place in front of a audience and in a setting of a place like Wimbledon Tennis Club, the epitome of the Establishment, was defiant indeed. 

He also applied his imagery to the equally unlikely sports of Golf and Cricket.

Frey - Bikers in a Dark Alley 1

This image of bikers getting hot in a dark alley was closer to reality but it's frankness also struck a blow for gay freedom of expression. It was gay art of a sort never seen before - high quality and spelling out what gay means without pussy-footing innuendo.  

Frey - Bikers in a Dark Alley 2

Frey revisited the biker subject in many other images of varying degrees of raunchiness which were, astonishingly, published in glossy, top shelf gay magazines without attracting reprisals from the Police, despite the efforts of conservative pressure groups.

Frey - Leather Lube, Biker Oil

The biker persona was perfect for expressing a boisterous, roughly expressed, bursting out of the closet and entering into forbidden places that reflected the spirit of those heady days when gay men felt that even if they weren't completely free exactly, not really able to realise these fantasies in real life, they nevertheless finally had a legitimacy that would enable them to push open doors that had been closed for all those years.

Frey - Biker Elopement

Frey's pictures did not just express excitement, there was an exuberant joy in them.

Imagining the trappings of conventionality and self -restraint being ripped apart.

It was an exciting time to be gay.

Frey - Lover

But he did not just portray excitement and lust

He also showed a vision of gay love as a beautiful thing, 

performed by beautiful people, beautiful men. 

Frey (as Zack) - Splash

His artistic skills here transform the old, tentative, AMG, shower hook-ups into something much more memorable. A loving shared experience of cleansing vitality with fierce, needle-like sprays of water battering and enveloping the two lovers.

Frey - Chains Broken

Frey's character rogue set the scene for a series of gay, comic book heroes whose masculinity was unquestionable and who were assertive and comfortable in their gay sexuality. Rogue's apparent taste for young virgins seems dubious in retrospect, but at the time reflected the common experience of a youth lost to unrequiteable desire. At that time most gay men of all ages probably were virgins or not long out of it and many no doubt saw themselves as his willing victims, given the chance. 

Bill Ward's later creations - Drum and King - were able to be more balanced characters in that respect 

Frey - Hard Wrestle

Frey's depictions of hard, rough sex were about showing the inherent masculinity of gay men, 

a reaction against years of being universally labelled as effeminate and soft.

Frey - Devilry

If homosexuality was the Devil's work, Frey's men boldly embraced that identity 

Frey - Mortal Combat

That vision of gay toughness also pervades his non-gay, fantasy work.

Frey - Tribal 2

Oliver Frey 1948 - 2022

A gay hero

This article adds to my original A-Z review of Oliver Frey's work

see also Night Visitor in the 'targeted' series

Punishment Art by 'G'

This remarkable image seems to show an athlete being punished by man who is semi-formally dressed in clothes that have a military cut. The T-shirt suggests he might be his coach or it might simply be a military undershirt. The athlete's hands are tied together and his feet, though not tied, are also close together, as if in obedience to a demand for military neatness. 

He is suspended, stretched out across his mentor's feet and a low table in a beautiful arching pose that accentuates his buttocks and conveys an impression of extreme defencelessness. The instrument of punishment is a ferocious-looking multi-tailed whip which flails in the air above them suggesting extreme anger and pain lies in store for him. In reality, the wielder is standing much too close to use it effectively, but this close positioning suggests intense, personal emotions are in play. 

The style of the image is strikingly artistic and modern with a slightly fuzzy appearance that belies the level of detail where it matters and there's a similarly loose approach to perspective. Compare with the Art of Vern Dufford

This picture is simply signed 'G' but the artist was identified as 'Greg' when it appeared in 'Mandate' magazine in 1985. Tim in Vermont website attributes it to Greg Maskwa (aka 'greg') who was certainly a contemporary. Maskwa (not previously featured here at mitchmen) was a prolific artist in the leather-rich 1980's and is probably best known for his image below called 'The Oasis'.

'greg' - The Oasis

 These two images are quite different in style but they both have been created using very distinctive, professional 'studio'  techniques. Greg did not always use his distinctive logo on his images but I've not found one that does have it with a similar style to 'G' Greg. You can draw your own conclusions about the source of the liquid spilling from the boot.

Greg - The Olympians

I haven't found any other fetish images by 'G' but this shower scene shows a similar mini-drama unfolding in the contrasting halves of a diptych. On the left two (swimmers?) are showering in a perfectly normal way with a nicely muscled, broad back on view. On the right the blond has actually removed his trunks and has attracted the attention of the third man, seemingly drawing him away from that glorious back. He spans both halves of the image with an air that suggests he is not a man to be dallied with. The faces are stylised but rather sexy.

~

for similar posts at mitchmen, click on the labels below

101 Uses for a Belt - No 21 Open Access

 An adjustable belt keeps his hands out of the way 

during inspections and recreational use.

~

For more Uses for Belts, click on the label below

Domination Art by Russ 3 Cops and Leathermen

Read this series from Part 1

Russ - Cop Search

This scene is a perennial, favourite opening for a porn story, a cop searching a motorist whom he has just pulled over for some violation or another. His fingers go looking for incriminating evidence (or something) up between the suspect's legs. Cops in this era are Tom in Finland country, but for me this image has a sniff of Etienne about it, blended into Russ's eclectic but unique style. 

There's a classic video that opens like this with the subject dressed in sexy, khaki shorts which somehow make his search all the more invasive. Having established the suspect's suitability, the two men adjourn to a barn where the cop administers a fierce belting before... well, you know! I know it as The Barn but I don't know what the correct title is or who made it. Anyone know?

Russ - Cop Probe

When a cop's got you on the rack in a remote lay-by, things can happen that aren't supposed to happen - whether you like it or not. There's a trade-off in this story, just as there is in  Night Patrol by Etienne - sex in exchange for tearing up a ticket. In Night Patrol it's an act of appreciation (or a cruel joke) after the cops have had what they wanted, here it's an up-front deal, but the cop's clenched fist is a tell-tale sign that the suspect doesn't really have much choice. 

It's tempting to see the influence of Tom of Finland here, in the content and composition if not the style. His 'Highway Patrol' (Kake 22) was also published in 1980, and has a similar scene to this in it, except that it's the cop that gets some cum-uppance in Tom's story. 

It's also interesting to compare this scene with the climax of Night Patrol by Etienne. In that story the shafting of the suspect over the bonnet (hood) of the Police Car is spectacular but doesn't look quite 'right'. Russ adopts a less ambitious approach to depicting what is essentially the same scenario and while it doesn't capture the same sense of excitement, it's more convincing anatomically and sexually it's more intense. Penetration imagery in this era didn't usually show significant shaft length between the two men like this picture does. 

Russ - Cop Probe

After reneging on the ticket deal, the cop discovers his two victims are leather guys and have got teeth. Here he suffers the humiliation of being taken captive himself and having his uniform ripped open. More painful retribution will follow, but that's not all. It seems he has a evil, murderous reputation and the leather community decide to exact their own justice by taking him out of circulation. The eagle badge in this image represents their adoption of him and is a prelude to his new life of indefinite captivity and painful servitude.

Cops differ from other gay sex-icons like the Sailor, the Cowboy and the Superhero, in that they are not just figures of lust in their uniforms but threatening, all-powerful and unpredictable men to be feared. Gay porn usually provides a psychological palliative to that fear with the fantasy that they are (only) out for sex, but there's a greater satisfaction to be had in turning the tables on the truly nasty ones.

There's another of Russ's mouth-stuffing gags in this image. The moments he has chosen to illustrate for this story do not have the same energy as the earlier images in this series of mitchmen posts, but there is greater erotic intensity. He understandably uses solid black shading for the cop's uniform in these pictures and it produces marvellous effects in the cop's leather pants and boots, but is less successful elsewhere where it replaces subtle line shading and disturbs the visual balance.

Russ - Jones Beach 1

In 'Jones Beach' a young surfer becomes besotted by a vision in cut-offs and shades. This very 80's object of desire reacts aggressively to his attention, pouring homophobic abuse on the young man. However, that doesn't stop him from lingering with his admirer and coercing him into a sequence of humiliating and subservient acts that suggest a very different agenda.

Russ uses his softer, more realistic style here, capturing the open space of the beach with it's constant, lurking danger of discovery, not least by Police patrols. That threat makes the victim's predicament seem both frightening and exciting at the same time.

Russ - Jones Beach 2

Eventually, the surfer/swimmer is taken into the trees for an even more painful test of his admiration, out of sight of passers-by. It's already clear that his hero's homophobia is a front and having punished the hapless beach boy, he demonstrates that the gay ways he professes to despise are not entirely alien territory to him.

After he's taken his pleasure he leaves the surfer in the bushes, still tied up and bent over a bough. There he's visited and taken advantage of by those who haunt such places, including a cop. Eventually though, his new-found master does return to claim him in a happy ending with a twist.

Some of the detailing in this picture is quite remarkable - for example the bully's boots and the bough over which the victim is bent are graphic art of the highest quality. Notice the return also of the dangling gag.

Russ - White Water Run 1

These illustrations were provided for a story about a leather clubs motorcycle 'run' and they are focussed on the induction processes of that world. In this image a young, blonde acolyte is being trained in submission with some boot-licking practice. This is a similar scenario to the surfer training in Etienne's Road Kings. This trainee's "Gates of Hell" cock strap was a much advertised accessory in the 80's but they don't turn up in art very often, probably because they require a raging erection, but at least this cock is pointing downwards! 

The artist's depiction of the muscular, leather man here is a striking success, creating the impression of a firm, but benevolent master. There's some similarity to Tom of Finland's creations but this is a totally original and very perceptive image. The on-looker in the doorway is an existing slave in the story but you can imagine other scenarios, e.g. a buddy awaiting his turn to be trained (willingly or otherwise).

Russ - White Water Run 2

This domination image owes a lot to Macbeth with a more forceful boot worshiping scenario being enhanced by a variety of exaggerations of scale and drama. The big boots that typified Macbeth's work are given an extra cruel twist by Russ who adds pointed studs to the soles but he doesn't use the same crazy perspectives. His more conventional viewpoint produces a result that is less wild, less energetically aggressive but more intense. The heightened sexual flavouring (including the giant cock) is all his own work.

Russ - White Water Run 3

In this spit-roasting image Russ pays homage to another great artist of the 80's, the Hun. He's extracted one of that artist's typical scenarios and replicated the facial expression of the victim too, but the resemblance ends there. Russ has translated the scenario to the world of leather clubs rather than the Hun's preferred hunting ground of prisons and sleazy truckstops. Russ makes the man in the middle here more mature than the Hun's innocents too. He has used his own, more realistic figures and drawing style to recreate the erotic essence of The Hun's imagination.

Russ - Leather Man (cover for 'The Leather Journal')

This striking cover illustration is a decade on from the imagery Russ did for Larry Townsend and it's a more mature, accomplished style. I'm not 100% sure it's the same man but if it is, it shows considerable artistic growth. 

The spiky cartouche framing the subject is a modernistic, vaguely satanic expression of the fiery, hard passion (bordering on anger) that lurks within the Leather Man's soul. It's scarcely subtle but expressed  much less directly than the flailing belts and harsh domination that mark out the action pictures in this collection. There's an interesting construct where you might expect a motto to be that brackets, almost nudges, the sexual centre of gravity, depicted as a latent source of great erotic power, but temporarily restrained. This slightly mystical interpretation of the leather religion is contrasted with a meticulous depiction of his elaborate leather outfit and carefully trimmed hair, showing the more worldly, conforming, sometimes vulnerable dandy that is also part of this tribe's character. 

~

Russ has a unique style that draws heavily on the inspiration of the artists of his day, but the drama and passion that infuses his best images is probably better executed than any of them. There are glimpses of extremely accomplished draughtsmanship alongside more mundane imagery, but it's not easy to identify a recognisable, unifying style in an era which was rich in artists with unique signatures - The Hun, Macbeth, Sean, Cavelo, Etienne and Tom of Finland. This is perhaps why Russ has received less recognition than he deserves over the years since then.

There's no site for him as far as I know.

Read this series from Part 1

Domination Art by Russ 2 - Rustlers & Hustlers

 Read Part 1 of this article

Russ - Round Up 1, Over the Horse

This marvellous domination and bondage image was used as an illustration for a story about a novice cop who is abducted by the local leather group. It's his bewildered, outraged and attractive face that makes this image so striking and draws us in. Surrounded by leather boots and giant cocks the enormity of his predicament is more apparent to us than it is to him. Russ contrasts the muscularity of the leather men with the captive's leaner physique, showing he's out of his depth, but he also gives him generous stubble to show he doesn't lack masculinity - even in this fix. Like the jogger in Part 1, we can't see the faces of the men who are dominating him but you can almost smell their leather. 

Russ - Round Up 2, Cowboy Captured

The prelude to the cop's abduction involves the annual pageant of a small town, the highlight of which recreates the hanging of a celebrated rustler, who miraculously survived his sentence, only to be hanged another day instead. The cop volunteers to play the part of the condemned outlaw and is kidnapped afterwards, still in his cowboy kit (see above). Russ captures a cute clumsiness in the unfortunate captive. That's a gag in his mouth by the way, not a 'manifestation'.

In this image the 'outlaw' is being led away by a noose round his neck while his arms are being pulled backwards and upwards by a second escort behind him.   Unfortunately the image cropping here (presumably to accommodate the magazine layout) dilutes that fetish element considerably - almost to the point of invisibility. The mock hanging isn't illustrated at all and the leather men take him to their club and strip him so, sadly, the cowboy theme, so promisingly broached above doesn't have any sequels.

The attractive shading of these images seems to owe something to the technical style of Bill Ward who was a contemporary of Russ and then at the height of his fame in the US and the UK.

Russ - Round Up 2

Naturally the leather initiation begins with a spanking and this occupies a considerable amount of time in the story. Luckily the cop realises he likes being dominated and used by the leather men (Phew!). 

His new master proves to be butch-looking with muscles and a pugnacious face, a look that's more athletic and mainstream than the likes of Val Martin and Brian Dawson (below) who were the leather pin-ups of this era and cultivated a more mature, sometimes sinister aura. Russ captures the dom's sadistic determination here and the impression of a short arm whiplash. The slap of the leather is understated but you can sense the contraction of  buttock muscles in response.

The story eventually resolves with the happily-inducted captive discovering that his selection was not entirely a random consequence of his volunteering role.

Brian Dawson

Russ - Hustler Slave 1

In this amazing image Russ adopts a more conventional drawing style complete with background detail and shadowing that looks back towards the academic. But he still incorporates cartoon-like exaggeration and clever distortion, this time to produce sweeping, stretching body shapes which convey the drama and dynamic tension as the captive hustler desperately struggles to resist his captor even though his fate is already comprehensively sealed. There's a sort of Ying and Yang balance between them at this moment that foreshadows the sexual conjunction that will ultimately follow with the captive unwittingly angling himself towards his captor's improbably bulging jeans.

Russ - Hustler Slave 2

But before sex, the hustler must first prove his mettle and comprehensively submit. His face here has lapsed into a youthful version of Round Up 2 above but that's not reflective of the story it illustrates where the street experience and toughness of the hitchhiker-hustler is crucial to surviving his unsought taming and training regime. It also leads to an ultimate willingness to serve, having been bested but not crushed. 

The leather man is not depicted as  a run-of-the-mill representative of his class either but exhibits impressive solidity and power. This 'Macbeth-ian' stance set against the willowy, suppleness of his captive produces another memorable depiction of domination and demonstrates the essence of training with the sub's arching body being inexorably drawn against his will into that special place between his master's legs, unsubtly delegated here to a dildo.

~

More Russ in Part 3

Read Part 1 of this article

101 Uses for a Belt - No 20 Posture Training

 Unlike some masters, Riefer demands that his slaves walk erect and look him in the eye.

They are not his equal, but they must never forget that they are still men.

That is part of their training and this young man will thank him for it.

~

For more Uses for Belts, click on the label below

Latest addition to the Royale Studio Archive

 

Fragments of Royale's 'Recruit' storyette can now be viewed at the Royale Gallery

Bareass Blogs No 69 - Butched Bikers

Bareass Butched Bikers

photo by AMG, I can't name the models

Go to Bareass No 70

For other mitchmen bareass blogs, click on the label at the foot of the post 

or start reading at Bareass No 1 and follow the links

More Domination art by Paragon Illusions

 Read Part 1 of this article

Paragon Illusions - Lessons

I love the devilish simplicity of this image which shows the training of a sub volunteer getting under way. This levered arm restraint isn't bondage art by any stretch of the imagination but it leaves  the captive with virtually no freedom of movement and imposes a defenceless, head-down, bowing stance on him. Humiliation can quickly become a painful torment if the tension of the rope is increased. The top here seems to be deliberating whether to do that or simply tether the rope sustaining his captive in this undignified position. 

Paragon Illusions - Basement Pleasures

This image captures the highly charged moment when a sub is first introduced to the intimidating arsenal of his mentor - and intimidated he clearly is, but it's a bit late now to change his mind. Already naked but still modestly covering up his private parts, there's a hint of the novice about him. The handsome top by contrast is disarmingly dressed in everyday jeans which seems to amplify the isolation and vulnerability of his subject. He seems to be encouraging his man to choose his own restraint gear for his session. It's a rather sophisticated priming technique which tests the subject's mettle and appetite before he is even secured. Involved but not yet committed as the chicken and pig gag goes. Sort of.

Paragon Illusions - Don't Cross Daddy

There's a superb sense of domination in this image with the sub secured with simple but rather glamourous, stainless steel manacles and seemingly wilting as the top starts to assert his authority. It's suggestive of the classic horror movie 'reveal' where the sub may start to wonder if he's been naive or over-trusting. There's a lurid example of this in the closing moments of the movie '30 years of Adonis' by Scud

I can't say I'm enamoured of the 'Daddy' concept, there are too many dubious associations and for me a man should always be manly, not childish. The tone of the title seems to have little to do with parenting.

Paragon Illusions - Surrender Sessions 1

This artist has produced a series of images called 'Surrender Sessions' and this example epitomises that theme with the sub allowing the top to restrain him. Once again it is the simplest of methods but once the chains are tightened they will totally immobilise and expose the captive. 

The 'surrender' is a magical moment for both men, particularly if this is their first encounter. This sub's hairy, muscular torso seems to epitomise manliness, an exceptional prize for the top to acquire and practice his magic and lust upon. The sub's unresisting acceptance of restraint delivers him into the hands and desires of his new master, totally under his control, protected only by their safe word and trust. 

Paragon Illusions - Surrender Sessions 4

This remotely controlled, collar snare is based on the device used to catch dangerous and elusive animals. It  leaves the subs hands free and able to defend himself in theory, but he cannot escape and cannot even touch the man holding the control rod. A strong man might break free but for the lesser mortals it's a recipe for a particularly humiliating form of control which ultimately compels submission and obedience to his master every command.

Paragon Illusions - Surrender Sessions 6

There's no restraint at all in this situation, just an elaborate and emphatic chastity device, denying the subject control over his own manhood. The master is seen revelling in his beauty and his submissiveness, which allows him to touch and appreciate his body. Behind the sub there is an unusually spacious cage which it seems he will be expected to enter when instructed to do so. There he can be left unattended and detained for as long as his master wishes, safe from outside interference but abandoned and alone, wondering what lies in store for him. 

Paragon Illusions - Dreaming

This artist's work is rich in hairy and muscular men of all ages, so when he depicts a striking and mature one like this at play in a swimming pool (in wet underpants) one can only wonder whether his destiny is be a top or a sub.

Paragon Illusions - In Training

Older men are often portrayed as tops, their maturity is assumed to have endowed them with wisdom and experience with younger men should learn and profit from. Paragon follows that convention in this image but but the forcefulness employed here in order to bring the errant young man to heel doesn't seem to quite accord with the chivalrous code of consensuality and trust building normally attributed to the leather community. However, the picture itself is all the better for that edginess.

We can also celebrate here an intergenerational image that does not flirt with the forbidden.

Paragon Illusions - Brute Force 

The artist generously offers us the other side of the coin here with the forceful 'Mister red pants' lured from his idyllic pool to a grimy basement where he is meeting his match. The title and setting leaves us in no doubt that this is not a playful, poolside game but an attempt to impose domination upon him. We might suppose that this may ultimately lead him to the delights of bondage and physical torments. As the saying goes, it's never to late to learn. It's a delicious contrast to the preceding image.

Paragon Illusions - Servitude

This isn't necessarily the same men but the progression is appealing. This prisoner has been stripped naked and the loss of those striking red underpants (or their equivalent) deprives him of more than just his modesty, but something of his identity too and in a curious way, his ability to defend himself.

Prisoner he most certainly is, the stark bars in the cell window tell us that. The artist's title, blunt as ever, suggests that his naked incarceration is intended to be lasting and demeaning, whether he likes it or not - and all the indications are that he doesn't. Not yet anyway. He hasn't surrendered yet but there's a strong sense coming out of this picture that he is not capable of avoiding that fate, despite his hairy muscularity which of course make him a highly desirable addition to the Maser's collection.

Paragon Illusions - The Examination

Strapped down on an examination table with arms extended in a cruciform shape, this captive seems oblivious of his position - or perhaps he is repelled by the sweet nothings of his captor. Unusually for an examination room this one is devoid of any equipment or paraphernalia which might give a clue to what it is used for. What form his examination will take. Perhaps that is what is being explained in his ear. The nudity of his attendant seems to rule out everyday medical stuff.

The captive is dressed in a good quality, leather jock strap and I'd hazard a guess that there's another item fitted to him underneath to help him fill out that roomy pouch. We don't know if he arrived wearing it and looking for an earthy experience or whether it was provided by his host while he was out for the count (having foolishly accepted some hospitable refreshment). That leaky tap or broken light switch will just have to wait!

Paragon Illusions - Piss Pig

The device worn by the young man in this picture is a bit niche but I've included this image not for it's earthy bluntness but for the gorgeous depiction of the man positioning himself to use this unusual facility (evidence suggests he hasn't started yet!) His bubble butt and slightly sagging jeans, showing just a hint of crack, combine with a broad back and long, slim legs to produce a figure almost any gay man would be happy to kneel before. For a more ordinary exchange at any rate. Note the contrasting characterisation with the bulkier man at the far urinal.

I love the small detail of the empty glass he resting his hand on, not simply because it indicates a voluminous discharge is imminent but because it's very nice piece of male characterisation.

Paragon Illusions - Release Your Dreams

Something completely different. A man with wings is chained between two pillars at the mercy of a (youngish) human. Typically in gay erotica, angels and the like are vessels of virtue, ripe for re-education in the ways of the flesh and this one seems no exception. In that context it's amusing to see the seducer portrayed as a much younger man who isn't offered a man like this every day. However this is a dangerous path for any man to walk down let alone an angel. The celestial one looks totally horrified and it's a great look! I suppose immortals have longer to regret their mistakes.

I'd caution them both to look at the colour of the sky though. There's a storm brewing.

Paragon Illusions - Waiting For His Return

~ 

Read Part 1 of this article

More Paragon Illusions 

also DeviantArt and many others, just search!

Classic Homoerotic Images 8

This joyous image by Colt of a leather man joyfully celebrating his sexuality and the freedom to express it marked the high point of 'liberation' around 1980 when anything seemed possible. Men who didn't subscribe to this magazine probably saw the cover advertised. It couldn't have failed to warm the cockles of their heart. Despite the leather referencing, it seems to embrace the whole gay community, what gay men shared rather than what differentiated them. It was an assertion that gay men were masculine, happy and balanced as individuals.

Colt - Gene Winchester

The full image, seen in this slightly different variant, was rather more racy, more assertively gay you might say. Gene Winchester clutching his crotch and failing to hide a generous bush of pubic hair. You might see PlayGuy's 1978 cover adaptation as a cop-out, but it's actually rather effective at implying what you don't see and they did have a full-frontal, centre page spread of this model inside. 

This magazine, by aping the title of the famously 'acceptable' heterosexual publication, represented a stab at equalisation, an attempt to secure a permanent place for gay magazines on the 'normal' bookshelves, away from the sleazy top shelf. Consequently the contents rarely lived up to the promise of the cover. It did managed to survive, however, without further compromise  until 2009 by which time the boys of Bel Ami had elbowed Colt musclemen out of the way.

I adapted this imagery myself in one of my early pictures - see next post.