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Sunday, 6 March 2016

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Vincent

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Tuesday, 1 March 2016

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Victor Le Graphfist


Victor Graphfist - Cigar Man

The clue to Victor’s principal subject matter lies in his name, in his pictures he explores all the ins and outs of the fisting world. However, this first example is a straightforward image of a Leatherman drawn in an attractive, luxurious style. It tells us that Victor draws men not pretty boys and the cigar is suggestive of a particular sort of heightened ‘real’ manhood. The gas mask tells you that you’re entering a particularly specialised territory with this artist.

Victor Graphfist - Man 2006

In the second example we have another, not especially pretty, man. The detailing of areas like the hair and the leather chaps is good but the depiction of his nether regions is outstanding, full of luscious curves and sensual shadows. The picture actually seems to direct the eye to this focal point with a subtle gradation of clarity which comes into sharp focus between the cheeks. After you go away, you may find that this detail is all you remember which seems a remarkable achievement, although perhaps not particularly beneficial to the artist.

Victor Graphfist

Some of his images are less polished than this and might almost seem academic were it not for erotic activity (in fact some of his images are vanilla, nude studies). The tentative explorations of these two, slightly self-conscious models make for quite a charming image in its way, the feel being reminiscent of early Tom of Finland. However, the ‘in your face’ exaggeration of the anal area transplants it firmly into modern porn territory.

Victor Graphfist - Spitfuck


That anal theme also overshadows this image (literally!) but I’ve chosen it mainly as an example of his more cartoony style. It also shows some of the earthy sensuality which was hinted at in the previous images I presented. I’m not sure the juxta positioning of the two elements quite works in technical terms.

Victor Graphfist


This image is more conventional but it oozes with erotic excitement, emanating from the obvious sexual activity down below which is emphasised by the upward looking perspective. But it’s pumped up to a more thoughtful and interesting level by the hairy faces above, interlocked and lost in the sensuality of the moment. 

Victor Graphfist - Haltero

For my money this is one of Victor’s most erotic images blurring as it does the boundaries between real sporting activity and extreme sexual pursuits, the one interacting with the other. The depiction of the sportsman’s face is attractive and his loose-fitting vest is a nice erotic embellishment which emphasises the nudity of his impressive rear quarters. His crouch tells us that those weights are heavy, pushing him down so as to impale himself, but it is the only way he can rest his muscles. The extreme size of the dildo matches the massive weights creating a supreme test of masculinity and strength. In weightlifting, this fully-squatted position is often indicative of an athlete having difficulty in making the lift so this imports a little frisson of ‘predicament’ as well.


Victor Graphfist - ASMF

There are a few examples of bondage in Victor’s work and seeing this, it’s a pity there aren’t more. The tight hog-tie position is convincingly portrayed and the couple enjoying themselves in the background provide a story-telling context which is often lacking in the bondage genre. As in most of Victor’s work, there’s not much sense of the dramatic or sinister, the tests of his characters are limited to the scale of the physical challenges they take on.

Victor Graphfist - Dos

Whilst fisting is a major part of Victor’s work I have limited examples here, partly out of personal preference, partly out of deference to the host of this blog. However I would always find space for a work of this quality which is a relatively mild expression of an extreme activity. I love the dramatic pose, the face, the rendering of feet and arms in the foreground, the head and body hair - just brilliant. Victor’s portrayals of sexual coupling are earthy but refreshingly natural and cheerful.

You will find a generous selection of Victor’s work at his website Graphfist including plentiful fisting imagery. Oddly enough these pictures, though extremely graphic in content, are not always particularly erotic (at least not for me) and I confess I find the levels of anatomical detail in his most intimate works a turn-off, but I wouldn’t want to stop anyone else from exploring or enjoying it.

 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)

Wednesday, 24 February 2016

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Verlato


Verlato - Hell Raiser

Verlato is not really a fetish artist in the conventional sense, nor is his art openly ‘gay’ but his amazing images are peppered with half naked, lean, muscular men in contorted poses that are supremely erotic. His hyper-realistic style is sensuous and draws you in to study the detail of pictures that are sometimes immensely complex. So complex in fact that his works are often carved up into ‘interesting’ segments for internet circulation.

Verlato - David
His art is sometimes described as surrealist but it’s more obviously influenced by the world of ‘Metal’ Pop Music with its self-conscious irony and the modern imagery of Hollywood car crashes and explosions which is now so commonplace that it surely doesn’t qualify as surreal any more. Verlato’s art is very much in your face and visually confusing - a million miles away from the calm and bleakly disturbing constructs of the original Surrealists.

Verlato - 'Enduring Freedom'

There seems to be an ill-defined political message in this picture and the contrast between the positioning of the men and women is intriguing. There’s absolutely no interaction between any of the characters here and yet there’s an obvious homo-eroticism that leaves you wanting more! I often bang on about clothing and it is very much a partner to nudity in Verlato’s art but generally baggy and devoid of suggestive moulding. Still I'm a sucker for a soldier! On the technical level, there’s a fabulous diagonal connection which links all of the characters together and it’s intersected by the gun-barrel of the tank which points the opposite way towards the object of their attention. 

Verlato - The Gardem
 The erotic message here is unambiguous. There’s even a glimpse of cock if you look closely. The invocation of nature and paradise, birds and bees seems to confer romantic respectability on what looks like a dubious, opportunist intervention in a youthful love affair. The glimpse of a second, identical but enlarged elbow through the hole in the wall suggests a double ‘coup’ of some sort. You can judge for yourselves what the significance is of the squirrel’s pose. Well, I said the art was confusing!


Verlato - Hooligans
 Verlato has done a whole series of images depicting ‘Hooligans’ fighting and his interest in physical conflict surfaces elsewhere too. That’s erotic in its own right for some but the diving waistline and suggestive backside of the attacker here (discreetly screened by smoke)  plus the arched, hand behind back vulnerability of his ‘victim’ add up to a statement that does not seem to be addressing  deprivation as a causal agent of social unrest.

Verlato - The Settler
The Martyrdom of St Sebastian is almost an S&M cliché, instantly recognisable, even when transplanted to North America. However, the only concession to such interest here is the placing of the lower arrows and the shadow cast by the one embedded in the settler’s lower abdomen. The glimpse of 'modernity' on a distant hill-top signals another message from the artist but the near nudity of the (barbarian?) attackers seems politically incorrect however you read it.


In this final image, Verlato’s exploration of the extreme is sanitised by transfiguring the victim into a hairy-legged satyr, which is a classical representation of male sexuality. The victim expires in picturesque fashion. The glass display cabinet and fascinated spectators make a statement about the hypocrisy of conventionality but also add a frisson of control,  that is erotic for those who have eyes to see.

I love the ‘feel’ and tantalising subject matter of Verlato’s art but confess that its political dimensions and social relevance usually elude me (which is probably my fault not his). The technical achievement in these large canvasses however is colossal. You will find much of interest on Verlato’s website but his art is easy to find in search engines too.

  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)

Friday, 19 February 2016

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Velvetarms




This artist also goes under the name jojo-kun and produces an eclectic range of imagery featuring both gay and straight subjects much of it in the modern ‘spiky’, fantasy style illustrated in the first example. I prefer more sensuality but I like the clothes-ripping element in this image. We’ll pass over the clichéd, spread-eagled pose.

jojo-kun - He likes It

The second example is more fetishistic, although this situation - of the captive induced to provide penetrative pleasure for his captor - would take some doing to achieve outside of consensual fantasy  play. The mundane title and unlikely top don’t add much but the artist has caught something special in the captive’s slightly crushed pose and confused look. The tinges of yellow in a (nicely balanced) colour palette point to a rather more earthy scene in progress than is first apparent and suggest an ingredient (the overwhelming urge to piss) that would make a sustained, involuntary erection rather more plausible. The gleam of the brass bedstead and blue shadowing of the sheets are nice, artistic touches in a satisfying picture.

 jojo-kun - Avengers Captain America + Gay Iron Man

This last image is stylistically quite different and without fetish overtones (unless you count superhero intercourse) but the artist has created two interesting, sexy characters and captured the intensity and passion of the moment (by allowing them to retain some of their clothes - porn producers note!)

but there's not a wealth of fetish material there.


 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)