Riding the Wedge by Spi-n-t

An appendix to my A-Z article on  Spi-n-t, this page from his epic comic 'Yosauro' shows a device more like the gym horse which started this series than the sharp wedge alternative we have seen lately. There's a nice lock-in moment in the first frame.

This variant has insect-like or perhaps reptillian form (from Yo-sauro?). Also the capability to grow a rather substantial horn mid-ride to entertain the trapped rider. Unfortunately the supervisors are distracted by the arrival of royalty just as the fun starts.

To see other artists interpretations, click on the 'Riding the wedge' label  below

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Spi-n-t

Spi-n-t ~ Axeman (from Yosauru)

 Spi-n-t (Spinete) is a serious commercial artist who makes forays into comic erotica notably in 'Yosauro' (1995) where my first image comes from. The massive cock-on-the-block rivals the exuberance of Tom of Finland, but of course this picture wouldn't work if it were a normal size. The gothic executioner has an over-the-top tool of his own and the straining face of the prisoner, trying to escape his fate, is delicious. You can see the outcome of this scene at the artist's blog (link below). Spi-n-t's style is marked by well developed, sometimes exaggerated, sensuously curving muscularity which glistens lusciously. The hooded executioner is a clue to another of Spi-n-t's interests, exotic fetish clothing - bodysuits, hoods, fishnets - you get the picture.

Spi-n-t ~ Es Miooo!!

'Es mio' (it's mine) is an example of the comic extremes of Spi-n-t's style, lampooning the leather scene. The picture features some of his imaginative costuming and fetish appliances. It's not entirely devoid of serious, erotic content, if you reflect on the underlying scenario of a master asserting his ownership of a slave. It's a theme I can't recall having seen done by any other artist. At the same time, there's something sinister and unpleasant about the squabbling tops and the indignation of the violated slave. Take a moment to appreciate the quality of design and graphics in this little piece.

Spi-n-t ~ Fiesta Nocturna

In this picture of a fetish bar comic characters appear again, canoodling at the bar in all their finery. They are contrasted with much more 'real' beefcake characters lurking on the right, whose sex appeal is expressed in more conventional, but extraordinarily potent terms. It's a more glamorous style that looks good in conventional male oriented advertising. This picture captures the atmosphere of a busy bar very well, with just a few, well observed cameos, there's actually another adjoining segment to it which you can see at the blog.

 

 Spi-n-t ~ Don't Stop

'Don't Stop' is a memorable depiction of domination and erotic passion. The pose of the 'top' captures real masculinity and there are some nice details - the intense facial expressions, the tightly held collar leash and the incongruous black sneakers. This is a nicely structured composition putting together angles and curves, a bit like the illuminated letters of a mediaeval manuscript. The oversized organs work well, not just as expressions of sexual ecstasy, but visually, their curves and flying juices acting like baroque embellishments to the pleasing body shapes. 

 

Spi-n-t

This final picture depicts a muscular, young captive suffering in the aftermath of a lashing. His mighty body is tightly bound and he has been pierced and tethered, subjugating and humiliating him. His handsome, grimacing face is amazingly expressive of pain and the struggle to endure it manfully. With no gloating captor to distract us, we are drawn in to the intimacy of his suffering, it's powerful, erotic and quite disturbing.

See more at Spinete's blog:- Spi-n-t

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A-Z of Fetish Artists - Spartacus

Spartacus - Ball Game

Spartacus was a prominent artist of the 60's known for depicting young men at play. It's mostly decent stuff on the surface, but with suggestive overtones and details for the intended gay audience. Tight shorts and bare bottoms feature prominently and some of his bulging jocks have pretty unambiguous shapes. 

In 'Ball Game' there's more than a suggestion of illicit groping, centre stage, and those tight shorts and hairy thighs look just as good today as they must have done 50 years ago! I imagine the accompanying copy would have included arch references to 'tackle' and 'diving'. If you think this is not a fetish picture check out juxtaposition of pointed studs(!) and buttocks, bottom right. 

That glimpse of elbow between the upturned legs suggests more interference going on and the three guys at the back look as if they are up to no good too. The tackler's outstretched hand grasping suggestively between the background figure's thighs is a more subtle, conventional 'hidden eroticism' but Spartacus is definitely pushing the envelope here.

(Click on the label below for other examples of hidden eroticism).

 Spartacus - On A Training Ship

My second picture, showing a 'crossing the line' ceremony, gives a glimpse of what might have been (and possibly was in the artists unpublished work). A series of young men are tied up and blindfolded before having their heads dunked in a bath full of crabs and eels, which has been placed at the feet of 'King Neptune' so that he might enjoy their humiliation. 

The bulk of the picture is taken up with conventional 'boy physique' imagery, somewhat in the style of Scott-Tuke, which gives the piece an air of youthful innocence and adventure. This probably made it more acceptable naughtiness in it's time, but paradoxically the reverse applies today. The clothing details are revealing, ripped shorts and some fairly racy open flies and scanty thongs – not to mention another pair of 'in yer face' hairy thighs – reassuringly adult.

Spartacus' boys often have an Oriental or Polynesian appearance, it's a useful identifier for his work.

Spartacus - Shower series

The final image comes from a more explicit era and the artist is clearly revelling in his freedom with a mega-oversized organ. I don't know quite why the young coach is being restrained while being simultaneously pampered, but there's a companion piece in which he spanks the lads and you can see visual evidence that this picture follows it in the sequence. Perhaps he's being tricked and prepared for revenge. 

The atomiser is delightfully camp but quite suggestive if you think about it, likewise the talcum powder, which would need amazing properties to reach it's intended destination. I love the detail of the boy's hand gently tapping the canister to promote pouring. This imagery recalls an advertisement of the era in which salt is sprinkled on a chicken's tail as a prank.

 The quality of this last drawing contrasts markedly with the earlier pictures, although those images have probably suffered from the limitations of '60's magazine printing (and later scanning) and were surely much better 'in the flesh'. This later style suggests to me an acquaintance with Harry Bush's work (or vice versa!). Oh, what treasures have we lost?

I haven't found a decent site for Spartacus' work but it turns up at art groups and vintage photo sites, there's a selection at this gallery which includes most of the images I know of. Information about other work is welcome.

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A-Z of Fetish Artists - Soto

Soto - The River Ordeal

Soto usually depicts fantasy beasts being beastly to each other, as in the HellBoy stories, which is not my normal stamping ground for this series. He also uses computer assistance in finishing his work but I'm giving him a mention for his human drawings. This sketch of a man who has just been spanked with an oar over a upturned boat certainly qualifies as fetish art. I love the designer G-string dangling from the oar as supplementary evidence of his humiliation.

Soto - Casualty

Underwear removal is the focus of 'Casualty' too where a burly soldier is being rip-stripped and felt out by an inquisitive and seductive tentacle organism. The spent cartridges on the floor suggest our man is out of ammo and instead of going down fighting, he is taking the line of least resistance, preparing for the inevitable 'ending' with as much courage and dignity as he can muster. He has helpfully assumed the bog standard, open legged, sitting stance which seems mandatory for tentacle rummaging. 

As tentacle images go, this is beautifully understated and manages to suggest that such creatures have more discerning sensibilities than one would have guessed from the countless images of aggressive orifice filling, supplied by other artists. The warrior's face turned aside in passive revulsion is fabulous. I suppose the mothers of soldiers, like all mothers, advise them to change into clean underwear before battle (in case of accidents) but this chunky warrior's panties are surprisingly flimsy and provocative, scarcely concealing his own little 'tentackle', it's a nice touch of human weakness. Soto's fully coloured images are beautifully crafted and textured. The murky lighting and indistinct detail is not unusual in his work, it's highly atmospheric, but frustrating at times.

Soto - Just A Raped Guy 5

The final image is a group of sketches that explores the multifunctional abilities of tentacles to coil, restrain, pull, squeeze, caress and probe the human body. They work well as a group and the simplicity of the individual sketches is more effective than a single complex drawing which tries to show dozens of tentacles with everything happening at once. His tentacle imagining is quite interesting but there's also some nice body sketching here, I particularly like the man's stubble detail (bottom right)

See more at The art of J C Soto, if you're image searching, he also uses the name 'HellBoy'

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A-Z of Fetish Artists - Ira C Smith

 Ira C Smith - Bondage Pair

Ira Smith's work is based on classic figure drawing of the highest order, combined with a keen sense of style which gives his work 'hang it on the wall', artistic credentials. This is not to say he holds back on erotic content though and in 'bondage pair' two athletes are secured in a humiliating, kneeling position, displaying their naked asses provocatively through the bands of their jockstraps. There is something very sexy about buddies being captive together, the identical poses and clothing in Ira's picture play on that theme, although the details of their bondage differ for some reason. One can imagine these lads looking on helplessly as their team-mates are taken, one at a time, then stripped and bound to join them.

  Ira C Smith - Ringz

 

Ringz is an arty treatment of a classic punishment pose, the imaginative floating rings help to create a dynamic impression of struggle and comprehensive restraint. By omitting the engineering details, Ira is free to home in on the taut, arched body. He uses dark shading to emphasis the highlights and valleys of muscle definition in almost photographic detail. This technique runs the risk of 'breaking up' the subject's body and losing the sense of bulk, but the white background mitigates this effect. The rope looped round the waist and the blindfold give the image an extra, little erotic kick. Notice the halo-like effect of the central ring, the captive's head seems to be pushing through it, noose-like. The subtle symphony of winding curves, continues bottom right, in a pattern that seems to capture the snake-like sensuality of bondage rope, while simultaneously suggesting celebratory garlands. This decorative quality suggests the captor has complex motivations!

 

  Ira C Smith - Connected

'Connected' cleverly weaves bondage ropes around two men (refreshingly mature), who are locked in an embrace which might be wrestling or love making. The discreet, downward pointing hand on the stomach gives a clue to deeper intimacy. With it's tasteful nudity and geometric balance, the composition is artistically pleasing but also unexpectedly sexy. The ropes seem to be simultaneously pulling the men together and apart and controlled by hands unseen, which gives the piece a manipulative overtone and imparts to us a tingling, voyeuristic quality. Connoisseurs of 'hidden eroticism' (see label below for more) can visualise what may ultimately be revealed by the two lower ropes, drawing aside the mens' legs, like the opulent curtains of a theatre.

  Ira C Smith - Tied and Abused

 

Despite a similar, arty style, the content of 'Tied and Abused' does not hold back at all from fetish expression. It is evident that the kneeling captive has been spanked and some lash or other implement has drawn blood. A brutal foot urges him in the direction of an ominous square frame. The rope-work looping round the captive's body is particularly prominent and sharply defined. It continues, winding round the frame in similar manner to Ringz above. In a curious trick of the eye his collar is actually already attached to it. In this picture the darkly shaded torso is contrasted with starkly white or line-art only areas, such as the hair and clothing, it's a favourite technique of this artist. The artist Cavelo uses it too, in order to differentiate characters in his drawings and if you consult my A-Z article on Cavelo you will see the similarities do not end there.

The quality of Ira Smith's art speaks for itself but it rewards fetish enthusiasts who linger longer. You can see more of his work and buy it at the Ira C Smith website.

For previous articles in this series click on the A-Z label below

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Skipper

Skipper - Don't Move

Skipper's art takes in some fairly grim subjects, such as shootings and impalements, so it doesn't get much of an airing outside specialist BDSM forums. In 'Don't Move' (above) the violence is implied rather than explicit. Skipper's originals are often large scale works, so some details, like the gag-grenade, don't make it to reduced images. When you've worked it all out, there's a degree of ambiguity as to whether this fantastical scene is a sadistic execution, an elaborate, tongue-loosening (!) procedure, a suicide pact or simply a bizarre test of manhood and bravado. It could be all four. The participants are uncompromisingly square jawed, rugged men, but their sexual communion is fueled by mutual fear and uncertainty, so there's a subtle but deep intimacy here which is not obvious at first sight. The kneeling soldier's abstracted, ecstatic expression as he savours his power is almost as scary as the hardware! Skipper's use of delicate water colouring for such an uncompromising subject seems a little incongruous, stylistically the end result reminds me of some of the work of Manflesh.

Skipper often chooses military subjects showing explicit maltreatment of protesting captives and there's a disturbing degree of historical authenticity in the atrocities he adapts to his erotic purpose, such as GI's impaled with bamboo stakes. Despite their suffering, the victims always respond erotically. At it's extreme, bloody combat and sexual congress become intimately entwined in a glorious, over the top, death-rape climax. These images are too extreme for this blog but 'Construction' (reproduced in black and white for a book cover, below) gives a sense of just how challenging Skipper's work can be.

 Skipper - Construction

 A highly masculine, construction worker patiently applies a succession of nail piercings to his own body. I suppose this would be dubbed as 'self-harm' by those who like to police human behaviour, but that is hardly an adequate description of what's going on here. In fashion piercing (and tattooing) the pain is usually perceived as a short-term price to pay for a body-flattering decoration. Through Skipper's eyes it is seen as a private pleasure in it's own right, a painful, but erotically satisfying, test of inner strength. The sheer quantity of iron-mongery and the calm concentration of the Construction worker as he proceeds with his task gives the image a striking, obsessive, intensity while the upraised, gleaming nail-point adds an element of almost magical ritual. It's a thoughtful reflection on a little understood, but probably widespread, fetish. 

 

Skipper - Sanctuary

'Sanctuary' is quite different, a complex tableau depicting a failed police raid on club where a fisting orgy is progress. This is a big work and the photography probably doesn't do it justice. The entwined figures take a bit of untangling but there's some nice visual elements here for those into well developed muscularity and bull necks. The subjugation of the cop provides a domination side-show to spur the participants on. Deep fisting is also shown in other Skipper works. It's not supposed to be life threatening but there can hardly be a more demanding or invasive form of intimacy so it's easy to see how it sits alongside other activities portrayed by Skipper 

 

Skipper - Wash

I'm not sure I know what exactly is going on in 'Wash', but the distended stomach suggests something pretty taxing for the butch captive. I've included it mainly because it's a wild sketch, full of wet, sleazy vitality. There's an intensity in much of Skippers' work suggesting a strong engagement with his subject matter. It's a quality which expresses itself in a different ways in 'Construction' and in the excesses of his military tortures and orgies but Skipper always seems to have something to say about his erotic feelings as well as simply invoking ours.

I've not been able to find a website hosting Skipper's art, but there should be some oddments in the GMBA archive (current link in sidebar).

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Sirio

 Sirio - Tentacles

There are mountains of tentacle art on the internet and much of it is repetitive and not terribly exciting, but I do like this picture by Sirio. The contorted body position and flesh indentations made by the tentacles do actually create the impression of a body under stress, in the grip of a powerful …...well, whatever. 

This image is simply drawn, but you can see there's a nice erotic sensuality in the style. 

The elfin ears tell you Sirio is depicting some sort of Fantasyland here.

 Sirio - Captive  

There are similar, other-worldly indicators in this picture too. I could wish for more butch-looking faces, but this simple depiction of domination and forced submission is surprisingly powerful. 

The collar imagery and tight arm restraint is great. 

In the absence of an explanatory storyline, the evidence of bruising, physical abuse gives the image an evil tweak which some will like and others not. Violence and tenderness make unpleasant bedfellows in real life and in fantasy pose difficult questions about the acceptable boundaries of S&M.

 Sirio - Batman and Bane

Much of Sirio's output concerns the subjugation and humiliation of garishly-clad, super-heroes at the hands of equally improbable villains. It's enjoyable enough as adventure entertainment but personally I don't 'get' the cross-over of comic super-powers into erotica. The sexy outfits and muscular bodies are a tease but that's usually as far as it goes for me. However, this image of Batman being subjected to a painful back breaker (part of a series at Sirio's blog) is a pretty sexy concept, it's a shame his sexy underwear isn't seen more often. 

 

Sirio - Centuria

This depiction of man on man sex seems to ooze testosterone, with it's muscular bodies and massive thighs but the face of the top has a fragile, androgynous quality about it, suggesting a quite confusing role reversal. There's a similar effect in the tentacle picture. I like the economical fetish detail, the bound wrists and squeezed pecs neatly sum up the captive's helplessness.

Sirio's art contains many ingredients which are far removed from my own interests – the Yaoi style, the fantasy characters and the biff-bash fighting. I limit my commentary accordingly - but there's some striking imagery to be found. 

 

To see more visit Sirio art at Y!Gallery which has links to various sites used by the artist.

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