Guys In Uniform 1 - Cane stripes

Royale (1950's) and Guys in Uniform (1970's) were two studios that specialised in producing sexy pictures with a strong flavour of military discipline. The pictures pushed at the boundaries of acceptability for their times, and the men in them were reputedly genuine servicemen. Both of these facets shocked the establishment and provoked repeated police raids and prosecutions, which eventually caused them to collapse. There's an interesting article at milism about their history and the connections between the two studios.

They produced some outstanding images which have always inspired me. Although they inevitably reflect their times, they still have impact today, and in this series of articles I review some of my favourites. 

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1 Ready for Punishment

The chances are you will have seen today's images before. They come from a set produced by 'Guys in Uniform' and is probably the best known example of their work - with good reason! The situation of two men in PT kit up for punishment with a cane is erotic enough for spankers! You are immediately struck by the tight white shorts which are lit to show off the target areas very well, and the glimpse of bulges between the legs is amazing, especially for an era when nudity was a no no. We can see that these are men, not boys!

Tight white shorts were a universal icon in gay imagery at this time, these days a picture like this would feature white underwear, but otherwise the image is timeless. The hems of their shorts show off chunky thighs, while the ankle socks with blue hoops (also classic sports wear in their day) reveal solid calves - these men are fit!

2 Waiting his turn

They way these men are dressed is intended to reflect the military setting where discipline would indeed be administered in gym kit, underwear would be entirely inappropriate. In picture 2 punishment is in progress, but my eye is drawn to the man facing the wall, he has a beautiful figure and the upright posture (a cross between at attention and at ease) is manly but submissive. It creates a visual effect that is a treat for neck freaks like me. The bare backside is a departure from military standards, but is well worth it in this man's case.

The man wielding the cane is less convincing, his shorts are not really shorts at all
 and his face and hair don't conjure up the look of a military disciplinarian
 - You need a Nick Moretti or a Spencer Reed for that!

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More Guys in Uniform in the next post.

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Summary of 'M' Artists

I have covered 23 different fetish artists in my survey of the letter 'M' - a staggering number including many whose subject matter is very controversial. Selecting my customary 'favourite' is going to be a major challenge. There are three criteria which I usually employ - Technical quality, Fetish content and Sensuality.

Fetish Content is probably the least helpful criterion in this case, such is the array of peversity represented by these artists! For a whole host of 'M' artists it's the subject matter which catches the eye more than anything else - much of it pushing at the most challenging boundaries of conventional taste. Martin of Holland certainly takes the prize for breadth of subject matter - and it's successful erotic portrayal. Malex and Mike Carcel's bizarre festivals of death and torture also stand out. But who could overlook Manflesh and Mack's tragic victims, Macbeth's scary aggressors and Mishima's classic bondage poses?

When it comes to technical skill, Marquis's sometimes quirky but beatiful images are worth a mention as are the figure drawing skills of Mike Carcel. Mishima's delicate Japanese bondage images score for their simplicity and elegance but one other 'M' really stands out in this respect - Max whose work was a revelation when I surveyed it properly for this review. His picture 'Stone Step' demonstrates his original technique and ability to create a compelling, beautifully balanced and wonderfully erotic image.

The final quality I look at is the sensuality of the image, it's visual appeal - a quality typified for me by Tom of Finland's early work. 'Arty' work, comic styles and simple figure drawings like those of Malex tend to loose out in this area although the voluptuous bulges of Mentaiko and the cute, fleshy captives of moc put in a good bid. Manflesh's handsome, hunky heroes also score highly as do the silky skin tones of Martin of Holland and the stylish dramas of Max. But for all round appeal I favour Matsugoroh's sweaty, chunky rugby men and Mishima's subtle eroticism and elegance of style.

Putting all these factors together and adding in my entirely unscientific, personal preferences gives me a final shortlist of favourites - Mishima, Manflesh and Matsugoroh and picking a winner from these is relatively easy - it's got to be Mishima. I've represented him here with a mitchmen-esque captive sportsman.

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Moc

Moc's refreshing style and lightly nuanced peril situations deserve to be better known.

Moc - Safeword

'Safeword' captures a very erotic bondage pose but the addition of an obviously gloating captor and the stop sign is seriously threatening despite the humorous treatment. Regular readers will know I prefer good fetish art to be unlaced with humour but Moc's pictures can be mentally flipped.

Moc - Tight Shift (Caught)

He captures clean cut youth very well and the Tight Shift - Caught picture is surprisingly erotic considering it's lack of explicitness. The dangling cuffs and anxious expressions fire the imagination for what is to follow.

moc - Tight Shift (Getting to know..)

Getting to know... is a later picture in the same series and contains elements of menace and humiliation. Once again the faces tell all and the clarity of the bondage detail and gagging is erotic in it's own right. The glimpse of the officer's badge on his gag identifies it as his own ripped shirt prompting the viewer to imagine the preceding scene. The intertwining of the bodies in this picture is ambitious, visually disentangling bodies is difficult in any picture, even photos. The simplified colour palette of the cartoon style doesn't help much in creating the illusion of depth, but Moc just about gets away with it thanks to careful colouring and the uncluttered depiction of the captive's torso's.

The style is economical but surprisingly realistic thanks to accurate overall anatomy and careful selection of points to detail. The characters facial expressions and particularly the eyes are striking. The expression of depth and anchoring of the posed characters in their setting is less convincing but the cartoony style provides an alibi for this. Moc draws on photographic sources but he transforms them into a distinctive, attractive and fascinating images.

Moc's work can be found at the BoundGuys site

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To see earlier posts in this series click A-Z in the label list below

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Mitchell (mitchmen) 'Shipping Out'

Mitchell - Shipping Out

I'm taking the liberty of mentioning myself under the letter 'M', but I will not blowing my own trumpet too much, not in this august company! I have quite eclectic tastes but my main fetish interest is in showing bondage, usually in the context of peril and the sample here incorporating forced 'transfer' as well is fairly representative of my work. I do occasionally explore the more extreme topics such as those represented by other A-Z 'M' artists.

To see more of my work, click on the 'mitchpix' label or join my Yahoo Google! Group, see sidebar for link. I'll be starting a new tale with a military theme at the Y group soon.

To see earlier posts in this series click A-Z in the label list below

GMBA

The GMBA group which has always been one of my major links for fetish art gets zapped from time to time but is usually reborn again to rebuild the archive. The latest link for it can be found at the foot of the right sidebar.

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Michael Mitchell

Michael Mitchell - Shavers

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No this isn't me. Michael Mitchell produces occasional pieces with a mild fetish slant and his style is refreshingly clean and direct. He guards his copyright and accordingly little of his work circulates on the web.

To see earlier posts in this series click A-Z in the label list below

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Mishima

Mishima - Kneeling

Japan is seen as the spiritual home of artistic, rope bondage and Mishima is one of the most significant artists in this genre. Virtually all of his fetish pictures are simple studies of Japanese men in bondage, usually nude and drawn without backgrounds. These (apparently) simple and elegant drawings are very much in his national tradition.

Mishima - Tied to a Post
Mishima's men and the culture he depicts are also unmistakeably Japanese. In this picture the young man's face has a distinctive, puppy fat appearance quite different to Hasegawa's more Western-looking boys (for example). The traditional loincloth trails down alluringly and is only held in place by the ropes which dive between his legs emphasising the bulge. The line of the head, body and legs follow a beautiful arc. His men are generally adorned with naturalistic body hair on legs and arms as well as the chests (sometimes it is shown in a naively curly way).

Mishima - Suspended

Like many Japanese artists (e.g. Hasegawa), he is interested in bodies that are covered with extensive and dense tattoos. Tattoos in Japan have various associations with criminality, class, bravery and wealth which on the face of it is not dissimilar to the UK but I wouldn't presume to judge what aspect Mishima and Hasegawa are portraying in their pictures. The emphasis given to the tattoo can confuse the eye and obscure the detail of the body and even gives a clothed appearance sometimes, but it's clearly an artistic choice not a misjudgement which is fair enough.

The anatomical detail is often impeccable, like the feet in this picture. 

There is often an air of real, but unseen menace in the pictures, sometimes manifested as staves prodding the captives body, bruises or even blood trickling from the mouth or wounds. When he shows men who are not tied they are often striking fighting poses or wielding knives, swords or staves with fierce expressions on their faces. In many pictures the captives sport impressive (but feasible) erections and may be tethered (and tormented) by chains attached to them. 

Mishima - Affection

Having said that, there are also some delightfully affectionate images too, all the more erotic for the hardness of the companion works. You can see that he used a traditional brush technique for this picture.

Mishima's bondage studies are less startling these days, when bondage imagery is commonplace, but even so you'd have to search hard to find the poses selected here. His straightforward elegant style is very attractive to the eye and the preference for solo, near naked studies renders them both artistic and timeless. For that reason he often pops up on gay art and fetish sites. 
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Theres a selection of his work at Ayhan's blog, sadly Jeunes Asian Art has gone.

To see earlier posts in this series click A-Z in the label list below