Most Popular 'mitchmen' Posts of All Time - 2015 (MPP3)

 

MCarcel - I am next

According to my Blogger 'hits' stats, Mike Carcel (A-Z posting)  remains my all-time most visited article. The posts in the table below are the 20 most viewed on this blog. Titles in the list link to the original posts. Please tell me if you have difficulty with any links

Posn	Last Yr	Title	Year	Total Hits	Increase
1	1	Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Mike Carcel	2010	14411	3950
2	4	Priapus of Milet - 1	2012	8940	2716
3	2	Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Malex	2010	8579	2121
4	3	Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Franco	2009	7952	1689
5	5	Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Jotto	2009	7296	1362
6	6	My initiation	2012	5584	752
7	7	Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Martin of Holland	2010	5142	1663
8	8	Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Heredia	2009	4004	1067
9	8	Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Mahoney	2010	3726	789
10	11	Mitchell's - A-Z of Fetish Artists - Klaus von Brandenburg	2009	3633	1073
11	18	Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Leo	2010	3609	1465
12	10	A Tribute To Bound Gods	2011	3567	965
13	12	Vintage Bondage Blog	2012	3470	964
14	13	Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Matt	2010	3271	860
15	15	Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Manflesh	2010	3135	791
16	14	Mitchells' A-Z of Fetish Artists - Platter	2012	3073	714
17	17	More Bondage Sightings	2012	2985	786
18	16	Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Marc	2010	2934	634
19	19	Shaving Fantasy	2012	2792	707
20	20	Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Michael Mitchell	2010	2758	790

If the "Top 20 Posts for 2015" was full of surprises, the all time top 20 is exactly the opposite this year. Unsurprisingly (given it's lead) my Mike Carcel A-Z article kept it's spot at the top. (thus giving me my annual challenge of finding a sample picture by him which won't frighten the horses too much! This year's features shaving).

 

The rest of the posts were exactly the same as last year with a little shuffling of the order, notably the A-Z article on Leo which rose from 18 to 11. Leo's whimsical, kidnap and bondage art is full of interesting ideas and it's nice to see him taking his place alongside the other greats. At his present rate of progress he may well rise a couple more places next year. Most other articles recorded increases consistent with their position on the list, although you can see there are a couple of ‘falterers’.

 

Mike Carcel's domination of this list seems unlikely to be challenged any time soon. He added 3950 to his hit count this year (compared with 'only' 2366 last year) and this figure exceeded the increases recorded by every other post. Priapus of Milet - 1 recorded the second largest increase with 2716 and rose to the No 2 position overtaking Malex and Franco.

 

There are no posts in the list later than 2012 but there are some interesting developments a little further down where Tagame has arrived at No 21 with  A-Z of Fetish Artists - Tagame (Part 1). The other 3 parts of this 2014 article also figure in the top 32 and several are likely to enter the top 20 next year, which is a tribute to the great man’s popularity. Representing 2013 is my follow up article on Mike Carcel which is at No 30 and making steady progress. The leading post from 2015 (The Art of Eddie Chin) enters the list at 85.

 

Two other older articles are now belatedly challenging the leaders. My 2008 article on Cavelo, Mitchell's A to Z of Fetish Artists - Cavelo has done well this year with 1195 hits earning him 27th position. I have now revised and extended it in response to this popularity. Another artist who I champion in this blog is Kalabro who enters the top 30 at 26.

 

The total hits method of assessing popularity is obviously biased towards older articles so (being a geek!) I also had a look at the total hits per month since publication -see table below. (Note:- In this table, multi-part articles are represented by the highest scoring individual post).

'Rate of hits' Position	Article	Hits per Month	'Total Hits' Position
1	A-Z Mike Carcel - 2010	212	1
2	Priapus of Milet -2012	199	2
3	A-Z Tagame (Part 3) - 2014	129	31
4	A-Z Malex - 2010	124	3
5	My Initiation - 2012	119	6
6	Art of Eddie Chin - 2015	106	85
7	A-Z Tom of Finland (Part 1) - 2014	99	42
0	A-Z Jotto - 2009	99	5
9	A-Z Franco - 2009	95	4
10	Art of Baron - 2014	78	41

Using this criterion the top 2 remain the same but Tagame appears at 3. Tom of Finland and Baron both figure in the top 10, which makes sense.  However, this method of ranking does favour these more recent, fresher works. For this reason I suspect the position of Eddie Chin will not be sustained in the coming year - although at the time of writing he's still going strong!

Martin of Holland, Teddy of Paris and Sean Platter also hover gratifyingly just outside the top 10, but this method penalises the oldest A-Z entries, notably letters A-G which were also much sketchier and originally had censored images. These were not up to the standard of the articles from 'M' onwards. I have replaced most of the adulterated pictures now and have revised and extended several of these articles this year (e.g. Adam, The Amir, Axel, Cavelo). That work will continue in 2016.

The articles I post to this blog are very much based on my own interests and fancies. My readers preferences doesn't always match my own (where are Etienne, Les, JoeT and Link?). Nevertheless it's gratifying to see this interest in the great artists who often have a fairly low visibility on the web. I am hoping to finish the remaining A-Z letters in 2016 and take in some more CGI greats.

 To see previous results click on the MPP label below

Thanks to all of you for your continuing interest and support.

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 23

Mitchell HG13 - Season's Greetings

Tom's appeal does not fall on deaf ears.

The kindly Guard bends him over a chair

So he'll no longer have to balance on his hobbled feet.

Meanwhile an inspection of the premises by the other Guard

Reveals the hall to be extensively Decked with Boughs of Holly

It's an ideal item with which to introduce a seasonal flavour

 to Tom's punishment proceedings. 

continued in Part 24

 Read this series from Part 1

Part 13 has been updated

As promised I have now provided a coloured version of the picture for Part 13

of "A Christmas Criminal" and slightly revised the text.

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 22

 22

The spanking gathers pace, but Tom refuses to show them any weakness.
He thinks he can outlast the spanker's hand.
But two spankers have double the firepower of one.
Toms ass is on fire by the time one retires,
 .... and the other one carries on anyway,
it's as though his palms are made of leather.
Tom trembles and his confidence suddenly ebbs.
.

Mitchell HG22 - Have a Heart!

Tom's unsupported now, balancing unsteadily on hobbled feet.
The impacts on his ass force him forward,
shuffling step by step across the room until

his progress is halted by the Christmas Tree.

The jumble of presents around his feet reminds him of his son.

Still waiting at home for Father Christmas to come.

This stark reminder of his failure to provide
rekindles Tom's spirit and fuels his cunning.

Surely the Guard's hand must be burning hot by now.
He must be full of frustration, anger and embarrassment
  at his victim's endurance and refusal to capitulate
Contemplating a shameful failure marring on his record.

Tom reckons he can get him to stop now
by making a crafty pretence of suffering
and a friendly appeal to his good nature.

That surely ought to do the trick in this Season of Goodwill.

continued in Part 23

Read this series from Part 1

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 21

The Security Guard's attack is sudden 
- and unexpectedly painful.

Mitchell HG21 - Surprised by Slaps

 Tom's bottom has been shorn of it's normal cushion of hairiness,

sensitised by prolonged exposure to the intense heat of the fire 

and further inflamed by irritant action of the chemical cleaner 

which the Guards sprayed all over his body.
.

But spanking is a punishment he often had to contend with in his youth

primarily at the hands of his hated father (who haunts him still it seems).

He taught himself then how to endure it and thwart his parent's purpose.

He expects to do the same now.
.

The thought that he might get off scot free after all

(once the ineffective punishment ritual is completed)

gives him a strangely perverse thrill of pleasure.

Triumph snatched from the hands of defeat! 

continued in Part 22

Read this series from Part 1

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 20

The apparition of Tom's dead father vanishes as quickly as it appeared.

Tom wonders if it really happened, 

whether any of this evening's bizarre events are real.

Real or not, his parent's disdainful rebuke hurts.

It feels as if he's still watching him now from the shadows.

Suddenly Tom feels very small and very foolish 

for getting himself into this scrape.

These regrets are abruptly cut short....

Mitchell HG20 - Stand Up!

continued in part 21

Read this series from Part 1

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 19

The Guards leave Tom squirming on his chair.

Knowing the sting of the astringent cleaning liquid

will become increasingly unbearable on his sensitised skin.

The clock on the mantlepiece begins to strike midnight,

It's Christmas Day, he's been trapped here nearly two hours.

Mitchell HG19 - The Spirit of Christmas Past

Before the chimes can finish a ghostly apparition materialises before him.

A familiar figure uttering familiar words from Christmas Days long gone.

They too still have the power to sting.

to be continued

 Read this series from Part 1

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 18

18

 

 The Guards move Tom's chair away from the heat of fire.

For fear of scorching their own uniforms.

But Tom is already sweating profusely anyway,

just from the sheer intimacy of their procedure.

It culminates with these strangers shaving round his groin.

As his body is systematically reduced to total hairless-ness,

Tom's anxiety scales new heights.

If he's not to be handed over to the Police, then what?

Mitchell HG18 - Sprayed

.

When it's all done and the trimmings tidied away,

They spray his body with bright green liquid.

It looks and smells like kitchen cleaner.

It feels cold and horrid on his sensitised skin at first.

Then it begins to sting him - all over his body.

continued

Read this series from Part 1

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 17

Tom listens as the Security Guards receive their instructions.

They discuss what to do then visit other rooms in the house, 

Footsteps sound above. Drawers and doors bang and rattle.

They're searching for something.

Tom waits for them, wriggling in the heat of the fire

Which continues to toast his exposed and unprotected body.

When the Security Guards eventually return,

one of them is holding a cut-throat razor.

Horrified, Tom struggles with his bindings afresh,

but he cannot escape and feels cold steel contact his skin.

Mitchell HG17 - Denuded

.

The guard begins to shave Tom's helpless, trembling body.

Starting with his legs, calves and thighs, slowly working upwards.

 The sharp blade glides across Tom's skin, 

surfing the film of accumulating perspiration

scything through the tangle of hair that covers his body

The hair that defines his masculinity.

 This delicate, defiling operation has a terrible intimacy,

With the Guard steadying his terrified charge's body

In order to present him, shaking to meet the blade.

It glides across his fleshy undulations,

ruthlessly felling his furry fluff.

continued in part 18

 Read this series from Part 1

Most Popular Posts of 2015 (MPP1)

Eddie Chin - The Window Cleaner

 According to my Blogger 'view count' stats, these are the most popular posts of 2015 

(titles link to original posts)

Posn	Title (+link)	Hits	Published
1	The Art of Eddie Chin	955	Apr
2	Nous Sommes Charlie!	669	Jan
3	You're Going Down! - 1	640	Jul
4	Ulf Retrospective - 2000	613	May
5	Yomero Transformation Art -1	533	Apr
6	You're Going Down - 4	523	Jul
7	Baron & Sherwin - Doubly Intimidating	473	May
8	Tagame is most popular post in 2014	461	Jan
9	Vintage Bondage - Leonard Chambers	442	Feb
10	You're Going Down! - 5	438	Jul
11	Ulf Retrospective - 2004 (Dangerous Marine)	383	Aug
12	You're Going Down! - 3	382	Jul
13	Ulf Retrospective - 2001	380	May
14	Most popular 'mitchmen posts of all time	365	Jan
15	First Catch Your Rogue - 5	363	Mar
16	I'm on the Train!	359	Apr
17	You're Going Down! -2	358	Jul
18	Real Men Ride The Wedge at Bound Gods	341	Aug
19	Ulf Retrospective 2004	334	Aug
20	Men Sharing Clothes 19 - Tight Gym Vests	331	Apr

This is for entertainment only, I don't know how valid or representative Google's stats really are and obviously posts from January have an advantage over December. That effect probably wouldn't have changed the winners much this year as nothing after August even made the cut, despite that figure being only 331, considerably lower than last year's 426. 

2015 was obviously not a vintage year for mitchmen posting! The top post would have been 2nd to Tagame last year, but the runner up would have only made 8th (see Last year's top 20). Only 10 posts beat the last years cut-off figure. My Artist Index page which started up this year got 723 hits but I haven't included it in the rankings.

There are plenty of surprises in this years ranking, not least at No 1, way ahead of the rest, my article on Eddie Chin's work. His subject matter of glamorous, celebrity beefcake imaginings doesn't fit my usual fetish-oriented style, but there's always room for clean art and handsome men! The transformational art of Yomero showing at an equally unexpected No 5, has similar technical qualities plus a wickedly inventive slant on the theme of race.

'Nous Sommes Charlie' at No 2 is a surprise we'd all rather not have had, but the cartoons assembled for this article remain superbly witty and incisive. It's ranking has no doubt been boosted by the prominent link I have placed in the blog sidebar. That will remain as a reminder that Freedom of Expression is our fight too.

This table is usually dominated by entries from my A-Z of Fetish Artists but I didn't post many of them in 2015 and none got into the top 20. However the 'Ulf Retrospective' articles which are excluded from the A-Z on technical grounds only, claimed 4 places despite my erratic posting schedule. This series will continue in 2016.

I'm particularly pleased that every one of the articles posted under the heading: 'You're Going Down' got into the top 20. This collection explored sex in prison through the work of various artists. The article dedicated to Kalabro's uncompromising lesson coming in at No 6 is a much deserved recognition of his ability.

The final big surprise is the presence of both of last year's 'most popular' articles at Nos 8 & 14. At one point it looked like these might head up this year's rankings which would be rather absurd. I suspect this result is more due to the popularity of Tagame and Mike Carcel (the two winners) than my analytical musings! 

The number of articles with photographic content rather than artwork in the top 20 this year was 3 compared with 2 last year. 

I will publish the updated list of all-time favourites shortly.

 To see previous results click on the MPP label below

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 16

The Security Guards tie Tom to the chair

using strips of his own, shredded T-shirt.
The rest of it they toss into the fire, along with his jeans.

They leave him alone while they phone up the Police.
planning to arrange a humiliating, naked hand-over.
But it's Christmas Eve and the Police are too busy.
So the Guards call the owner of the house for instructions.

 

Mitchell HG16 - In a warm spot

While they're away, Tom wrestles with his bindings but cannot get free.
Besides, it's freezing outside, how can he escape without any clothes?

The fire behind him becomes hotter and ever more fiery.
It's comforting warmth becoming unbearable heat.
Tom had specially chosen, scruffy, old clothes for the raid
Ones previously worn for his car maintenance jobs.
Infused with oils and combustible chemicals 

they feed the conflagration.
He won't be wearing them again.

continued in part 17

 Read this series from Part 1

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 15

Mitchell HG15 - Seated in Front of the Fire

With Tom completely stripped and totally unresisting, 

the two security men force him to sit on a kitchen chair 

Which they have placed in front of the fireplace

Tom hopes he might get the chance to plead his case now. 

continued

 Read this series from Part 1

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 14

HG14 Resisting Arrest

.

Despite Tom's willingness to co-operate, 
his captors continue to forcibly subdue him.
In the struggle expensive Christmas packages are sent flying
and Tom's cheap and well-worn T-shirt is ripped from his body.

 continued 

Read this series from Part 1

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 13

13

 Tom notices that his attackers are not Policemen.

Perhaps, if he can tell them his story, 
he can persuade them to let him go.

Mitchell HG13 - Empty Your Pockets Kid!

But before he can even say a word, 

their unconventional procedures reveal 

damning evidence of premeditation.

continued


 Read this series from Part 1

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 12

12 

The attackers measured violence 
is designed to tame hardened thugs.

But Tom's just not in that league,
So his resistance is snuffed out in no time.....

.

Mitchell HG12 - Apprehension

.
When the lights come on, Tom sees the uniforms.
Caught in the act, he is cowed and shamed, 
And so he submits to their indignities.

 continued

Artists Note - this image (and others also numbered 306 that will follow soon) are the original drawings that made up this story when I dreamed it up many years ago (more details here). For this series I have elaborated the narrative a little particularly the characterisation of Tom. I have also coloured the pictures to take advantage of the Christmassy setting.

 Read this series from Part 1

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 11

11

Mitchell HG11 - You're Nicked!

.

Tom is totally bewildered by the sudden, unexpected assault.

The perpetrators are calculating and efficient,
Intimidatingly they process him,

taking his belt away,
 so he cannot harm himself in custody.

 continued

Read this series from Part 1 

"A Christmas Criminal" - Part 10

This posting is especially for anyone who is alone or who feels alone this Christmas.

I hope you all are enjoying my little drama.

10

Tom is indignant. 

Only a banker would give his child a present of an empty box.

A box which he has to fill for himself!

Unfortunately Tom's emotional and angry feelings distract him........

.

Mitchell HG10 - Gotcha!

.

......and suddenly out of the darkness..... 

Continued in Part 11

 Read this series from Part 1

"A Christmas Criminal" by Mitchell (Parts 6-9)

6

Mitchell HG06 - Precautions

 Tom has decided that there's only one way to salvage Christmas for his family

Since that fateful evening in the pub he's been here several times - just looking.

It's so remote he's convinced he can be in, out and away before anyone can react.  

He puts on gloves and a mask.

Mitchell HG07 - Insecure

 To his surprise, Tom finds a way in quite easily and it's clearly not alarmed.

It's his first bit of luck since he lost his job.

Mitchell HG08 - Nice Present

 Inside it's warm and cosy, coals glow in the fireplace.

There are sparkling festive decorations everywhere.

Extravagant presents are piled under an enormous tree.
 Tom had come looking for money and valuables he could sell easily,
but now he sees an even better prize.

HG09 - It's Empty

Tom is unable to resist the lure of Christmas  presents offered to him on a plate.

But finds on closer inspection that all that glitters is not gold in this household.

Even though he's disappointed, Tom's first thought is sympathy for someone else.

continued in Part 10

"A Christmas Criminal" by Mitchell (Parts 1-5)

Click on the pictures to expand.

1

It's a cold night in December, a few days before Christmas.

In the 'Bricklayer's Arms', deep in the shadows of Canary Wharf,

a young man sits alone, grimly contemplating his future.

The Bank just closed down the place where he works.

Mitchell HG01 - Christmas Carols

2

 

Even in his misery Tom can't escape from bankers.

Two of them come in, noisily celebrating their Christmas bonuses.

Loudly they discuss the burdens of extreme wealth.

Mitchell HG02 - Banker's Banter - 1

 3

The banker's life of luxury makes a stark contrast to Tom's bleak outlook.

Drunkenly he visualises taking his revenge.

Mitchell HG03 - Banker's Banter - 2

 4

Finally Tom can't stand the bankers bragging about their money any more.

He downs his drink and leaves, so not hearing the end of their conversation.

Mitchell HG04 - Banker's Banter - 3

 5

Christmas Eve.
In the distance a choir is singing ......

................."When a poor man came in sight........"

 

Mitchell HG05 - No-One Home

Tom still hasn't told his family that he's lost his job.
To hide his terrible secret he walks the tinselled streets alone all day.
Now on Christmas Eve, he finds himself in front of the banker's mansion.

Continued in Part 6

  for other gay art by Mitchell at mitchmen click on the 'mitchpix' label below

Bazz - The Dream

Bazz - Dream #06 

Bazz is a regular contributor to GMBA (see sidebar for current link) where his photo-manip posts are quite often gory and shocking, but I very much enjoy his gentler humour too.

I've posted another sample previously: - The Job

Axel updated

I have updated my A-Z article on Axel by adding more pictures which give a better idea of his style. This is in support of the reference to him in my last post but I haven't done a full upgrade on the text yet.

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Letter 'V'

There's a good selection of fetish artists under the letter 'V', notably Valentine, Victor and Viste. As usual I have excluded CG artists like V-Teddy. To start the series I've picked out this image. It's attributed to an artist called Veresk. 

Chris Redfield cornered (by Veresk?)

Tentacle imagery is creeping into this series with increasing frequency and, as I have remarked before, this very static, open-legged position is the hackneyed, standard format of the genre while Chris Redfield as subject matter is not far behind in repetitions. It's a bit like the song writing competition in "The Mastersingers of Nuremburg" where every entry has to conform to certain ancient, unchangeable rules. It ain't a tentacle picture if it doesn't have these features. The contradiction between Redfield's supposedly dynamic 'game' personality and his passive, relaxed, receptive pose in this nest of tentacles is hard to understand but I've let this illustration through because of it's obvious quality.

In his original 'Resident Evil' game incarnation Chris is depicted as a classic white, Anglo-Saxon beauty but this artist suggests more ambiguous origins verging on beastliness which gives him a rather more intense sexuality. There's no beating about the bush about the writhing nest of tentacles he is sitting in either, penis is the name and penetration is their game. They are shown with warm colouring and a sensuous, porny sheen that makes their erotic purpose all the more convincing - except for those exhibiting an advanced state of droop!

I've not found any other work by this artist, which is surprising considering his obvious skill so there's a bit of a question mark against the name attribution. The colouring and fuzzy style is not unlike the artist Axel.

Letter 'V' continues with Valentine after Christmas

For more articles in this series click on the A-Z label below or search for specific artists using the index page or search boxes (top right)

The Art of Tacitus

Tacitus has created a nostalgic selection of bondage images in the semi-realistic cartoon style traditionally used in the commercial marketplace for comic books aimed at the 'intermediate' youth bracket. In keeping with that tradition the age of his captured heroes is somewhat ambiguous but they seem sufficiently mature I think to include here.

Skribble by Tacitus

This image depicting the capture of a young man, who has no doubt been interfering with the plans of an evil gang, is carefully drawn and full of endearing little details - like the crumpled bottoms of the jeans, the puckered stitching of the villain's puffer jacket and the dangling belt tongue.

Tacitus - Bound in Leather Jacket

 In this sequel, the bondage has been augmented with a good deal of rope but as you can see the treatment of the captive by the gang is otherwise entirely proper and Tacitus leaves it at that, in keeping with the mores of the mainstream publications which he emulates.

Tacitus - Tarzan Captured by Arab Slave Traders

 

The artist is rather less circumspect in this example with a mildly erotic depiction of a young Tarzan being taken prisoner by a gang of slave traders. Tarzan's skimpy outfit is in accord with the original story but the interesting shaping speaks volumes! The contrast between Tarzan's near nudity and his fully-dressed captors creates a frisson of helpless as he is abducted into a very different world. The attachment of ankle irons is a hugely symbolic and effective detail. I need hardly point out that the stereotyping of the Arabs is questionable, but it does lend power to the drama of Tarzan's emphatic subjugation. The representation of the other, Black captives in the background as would-be slaves is less easy to defend.

Tacitus - Tarzan Captured by Arab Slave Traders

Despite political considerations, this imagery showing Tarzan as a slave being led across the desert at the end of a tether is a popular theme amongst fetish artists.

(see PlanetGay)

Tacitus - Young Slave 1

 Another slave scenario, from the Roman era ostensibly, but the captive's trousers and belt suggest he might have arrived here from a later time making his predicament in the pawing hands of another unscrupulous slave dealer just that bit more strange and frightening. (And perhaps a little stimulating).

Tacitus - Young Slave 2

Stripped naked, the slave's body has suddenly acquired an attractive, sensuous quality and he trembles as two potential buyers explore those attractions at close quarters. This picture is the most overtly erotic of my selection but the conventional teen-comic uses of this drawing style seems to apply a veneer of  harmless adventure to the scene. In a way this gives it a nightmarish quality, a world not behaving as it should. It trivialises the gravity of the prospective slave's situation, but we (like him) can perceive in the portrayal of the two wealthy Romans two different but both unpleasant and demanding personalities. The captive seems to appeal to us to intervene, but he is trapped in the comic dimension and beyond all help.

~

See also Tacitus abducts a swimming team at mitchmen blog 2022

He has a small volume of work published at Tacitus on Deviant Art. 

See also TacitusComics (link copied from Telemachus)
 I'd welcome any other information about him

Sergey series updated

I have updated my A-Z article on Sergey's captured cowboy series by adding links to all the pictures which were originally omitted from the article for reasons of space. 

You can now view the entire series there.

Cavelo A-Z updated

Cavelo's Wedge

I stumbled across this picture whilst revising and expanding my A-Z article on the artist 'Cavelo'.

You don't expect to see a 'Wedge' turning up in the American Desert. It looks like the normal torments of taking a long ride on the device are to be supplemented here by simultaneous prolonged exposure to the scorching rays of the sun and with a horse whipping thrown in for good measure. This sort of cruel, extended punishment was supposed to have been practised by the French Foreign Legion on disruptive men in the ranks, but I have never heard of the US Cavalry employing such brutality against their own troopers. That's assuming of course that the naked man is 'one of them' and not some civilian miscreant they have decided to make an example of.

This four-legged wedge seems to be sturdy and well-crafted with a slight tilt to the top edge that would create an additional sense of precarious instability for the rider - and potentially painful splinters too if he slips! On the face of it, one would imagine that such an elaborate device would require regular use to justify the effort of constructing it in the first place. But I suppose, the world being what it is, it would only take one devilish mind to devise and put the thing together and anyone in authority who was impressed by it would soon find more opportunities to exploit it.

Following a similar train of thought, it always surprises me how the frontier townsfolk in Western movies, who must have been relatively impoverished communities, nevertheless build the most elaborate of timber gallows for their condemned felons, a task that would have taken them days, if not weeks and required a good deal of timber not readily available in the desert. If we are to believe what we see, they even built multiple gallows for executing whole gangs of men simultaneously, instead of making them queue up to put their necks in the single, municipal noose one by one. One presumes that once the job was done, the town spent more time and money dismantling the whole thing, since they never seem to have had one available when they needed it again.

For more on this artist visit my updated  A-Z article on the artist 'Cavelo'.

Wedge - Pain and Pleasure

From a series I know only as 'Pain and Pleasure'.
The protagonists are a bit young for my taste but there's a fair degree of  conviction in the scene.

 

1

  2

3

4

Identification info has been provided by a reader (see comment below).
My thanks to him.
The precise link is Boundupboys - Pleasure and Pain Part 4
starring 'Eric' and 'Ian'

Click on the label below for other wedge articles.