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| Art Bob - GoldBrickers |
We'd call them 'slackers' or 'malingerers' these days. Three men trying to get a Doctor's note for a few days off work. Or perhaps it's just an excuse to be examined by the handsome, young Medic. The degree of disrobing he requires of them suggests he has an exacting and thorough technique (and equally dubious motivations?).
The
hunk in the foreground is wearing shorts that are both rolled down at the
waist and rolled up at the leg to create a sort of loin cloth effect. He
is faking a fever by putting his thermometer on a hot radiator, which
itself is puffing out smoke signals of appreciation for the assembled, hot "hunkage".
The current examinee, standing with his flies wide open and nothing underneath apparently, presents himself for the medic's stethoscope, nervously tensed. Anxious perhaps, that his pants will drop at the slightest provocation, revealing something he'd rather keep to himself.
The guy stripping off at the back, for me, is the most interesting, strong jawed and lightly stubbled, he has a cute haircut and muscular arms. A glimpse of buttock tells us he's going to be examined totally naked.
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| Art Bob - The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall |
Everyone's already naked in this image, queuing up nervously to get their jabs, of which there are to be a great many, as witness the multiple plasters on those who have gone before. If that wasn't daunting enough, one of them - 'Mr Bigger' - has fainted and is being carried away by his buddies.
Physique Pictorial captioned this as a military induction scenario, which implies the men are strangers and need to demonstrate good masculine resolve in front of their new peers, even if they are naked and defenceless.
There's some interesting detail, a stray hand seeming to pull back the guy at the front of the queue (or perhaps it's tickling the fainted man's foot). The nearest culprit gazing upwards innocently. The recruit at the very back appears to be humping someone. This provocative, but discreetly obscured, forward thrusting pose is seen in other Art-Bob images.
Art-Bob's contemporary, Spartacus, often drew large group scenes like this with sporting and naval settings.
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| Art Bob - Life Savers |
This situation is sort of medical too, but following a book of Life Saving instructions suggests this is about novices getting in practice, rather than a real emergency. Admittedly the 'victim' does looks a bit glum, depending on whether you see his eyes as open or closed. The 3 oil rigs in the distance seem as if they might be an interesting phallic representation of the group's feelings. They also suggest it's based on a geographic location known to the artist.
The portable radio and shades in the foreground are a nice detail. The basket weave, kepi-style cap appears in another image below, US readers may recognise the style, but it's new to me.
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| Art Bob - Skiing Mishap (my title) |
Another young man seeking his buddy's help with a bad case of burnt bottom after misjudging the strength of the sun rays on the snowy ski slopes. The ointment and liniment on the bench suggest his friend is equally stricken, but he still looks highly dubious about the prospect of mutual oiling in that particular area.
There's an odd-looking detail in the grass beyond them that looks rather like a big cat with menacing fangs. It's actually a bearskin rug, and it appears in one of other pictures in the set (see below). Perhaps to parody of the pain the boys are experiencing.
This is one of six drawings in The 'Skiing' Series. Two others are known to me. One shows the blond trying on his skis, wearing nothing but a hooded top, unzipped to the waist. In the other, he's being roused by his buddy from sleep to go skiing before the snow melts. Both seem to simply showcase the boys' physiques. I suspect there's a narrative in which the snow melts, and they resort to nude sunbathing with disastrous consequences.
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| Art Bob -The Young Carpenters 1 |
More bottom pain awaits one of the protagonists in this diptych. Our
increasingly hapless blond is working with his buddy again, this time
nailing shingles on a roof. He loses his balance and his buddy's efforts
to save him only result in ripped clothing.
There's some nice physique drawing here and a distinctly balletic composition, brought out by the light hand used to sketch the background detail. In other images Art-Bob depicts ballet scenes and tights more explicitly.
The difficult perspective here presents no problems to this accomplished artist.
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| Art Bob -The Young Carpenters 2 |
This sequel is quite a well known image, you may have seen it converted into a spanking picture. The blond has landed in a barrel of nails which his friend considerately extracts from his posterior one at a time.
The bulge and shading of the legs of the buddies jeans here is quite effective.
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| Art Bob - The Artist (my title) |