A-Z of Fetish Artists - Yoshiyo

I'm rounding off the letter 'Y' with this is a nice picture of a bound, young man by the artist Yoshiyo'.

It's a nice clean image with decent technical style but surprisingly I've not been able to find anything more abour the artist so I don't have a link for him.

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A-Z of Fetish Artists - yy6242

You don't get much sense of what yy6242 is all about from his moniker and this bondage image is  equally shrouded in self restraint. Almost literally, because the shady looking character working his captive from behind here is a mere supporting player, only fuzzily defined. It's all about the captive, seemingly imagining this ghastly fate and there's no sense of interaction with the intruder (which I take him to be). The flying perspiration suggests embarrassment to my eyes (but this code can work differently in other cultures). Anyway he's sharing that emotion with us. Strange things happen when Dad is Home Alone.

Face

This beautiful image of a crying man is no less suggestive of powerful emotions simmering below the surface and it's not the only example of tears in this artists work (click on the link at the foot of this post). The whole face seems to express vulnerability and sensitivity. You might have guessed at the artist's Asian origins from the first picture but not this one. If there's an element of self in this intensely emotional image it's well-disguised. The artist's own choice of title doesn't give much away either.

 We're on less taxing ground here with an animal morph enjoying the fruits of man, but it makes an intriguing companion for the slightly mysterious preceding images. This creature has a purely human body and it is extremely masculine. His animal self is represented only by two ears (which supplement his human ones (!) and the hint of a bushy tail (wagging happily). So there's a sense of half-heartedness about his beastliness, while the physical restraints, prison number and facial expression allow similar ambiguity about his whole commitment to this encounter. I have a title of 'love' on this piece but I don't know if that is the artists own.

Soldier 76

This heroic figure with his cold calculating gaze is the opposite of such expressiveness, but it's very pretty. You can see that the face has had the most attention and things get vaguer as we descend towards the nether regions. The talent of the artist speaks for itself, but it's a shame we can't see below the waist, clothed or otherwise.

Suit Guy

Just to show this artist's work is not all serious. This looks like a study for a game or comic character and it shows an interesting combination of the heroic and the sensitive traits observed above. Once again though, the artist's dead-pan title leaves you wondering what he is trying to say or not say here.

Reinhardt Pool Party

I don't know who Reinhardt is but you can tell by his spiky beard and blind eye that he's a fantasy/game character who's taken time off from defending the Universe for the more mundane role of lifeguard. It's deliberately incongruous of course but he's been given a job here which is not just heroic, but which in the gay universe drips with youthful sexuality (not counting Hasselhof!). So even in this frivolous piece there's a sense of exploration of identity and desire.

 

Man

 Just a picture of a man, so the artist tells us, but this thoughtful character is oozing with desirable manliness that seems to go beyond his physical appearance. He's not quite naked but the picture cuts off just short of showing us something interesting. It feels like we're observing him furtively while he goes about some manly task, the yellow line suggesting a sporting link, or perhaps he's walking along the road, going home after a jolly night on the town, which might explain the slight fleshiness around his waist.

You can find more work by yy6242 on Deviant Art

He also goes by the name of DOPQ on Instagram,  and Pixiv

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 and top right)

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Yoshikazu Yasuhiko

 

This artist is known to me only for one work and it's a work relating to a niche interest that I would normally shy away from mentioning in this blog, namely religion and specifically the subject of 'The Crucifixion'. Imagery of this event forms the focus of that religion (despite the injunction of it's own prophets not to worship graven images) but it's quite commonly and casually referred to in the wider world as 'homo-erotic'. This is said with subversive intent of course, but the implication that images of torture and painful execution are a staple ingredient of gay erotica and of universal appeal is surprising to say the least! However.......

Regardless of this I know Crucifixion imagery is of interest to readers with S&M leanings. Yoshikazu's work tells the religious story in a frank, direct way that is quite interesting but his exploration of the mechanics of the process, starting with the nailing (above) certainly delves into the fundamentals of what makes this a sado-masochistic subject. Perhaps unsurprising given his Japanese ancestry.

Thus, straight away in this image we see the victim in the hands of soldiers intent on subjecting him to an extreme (life-ending) process. He is stripped of his clothes, all the trappings of life, all that shields him and separates him from other men. He is violated, being attached to the cross by a gang of men in a way that is crude, painful and virtually irreversible, removing all possibility of escape.  Finally he he is raised up for everyone to see and view his demise. Danger, helplessness, vulnerability, fear, violation, pain, humiliation. All these ingredients are laid out in these few frames and they are the essence of any S&M scene. Why such things should be erotic to those of us in this brotherhood is something of a mystery*, but the sketchy thumbnail in the bottom left corner is enough to confirm it's potency in this respect.

*My personal view, for what it's worth, is that if such things as those listed above, such bad feelings, are a prominent part of our lives, then sexualising them, associating them with pleasure, in effect defuses them and ultimately through the mechanism of orgasm, it discharges them, temporarily at least.

 

 In these frames the artist depicts the application of this terrible process to his narrator, a young man who has killed a roman soldier. In religious terms his guilt is meant to legitimise his treatment and to highlight the injustice to his 'innocent' companion on the adjacent cross. Likewise the use of ropes to secure him contrasts with the brutality of nails used elsewhere. 

However, in erotic terms, Yoshikazuo's choice of a particularly boyish-looking man for this role sparks off alarm bells. Fortunately his physique suggests a relatively maturer age than his face does. If the artist intended to provide a character in this story with whom younger readers could identify, then making him a 'sinner' of a pretty extreme kind follows a path of guilt logic that is peculiarly Catholic, or Japanese, or maybe both. Note the Japanese influence in the loin cloth design too.

As is customary, Yoshikazu's detailed exploration of the crucifixion process skirts round the engineering challenges of erecting a giant cross with victim attached into a stable position using only primitive technology. I don't imagine Roman soldiers signed up for getting a hernia by doing this job! One of the mysteries of construction history to set alongside Stonehenge and the Pyramids (and the provision of gallows in Western Townships!).

 Fortunately, the other two participants in this grisly tale are indisputably adult men. The concept of simultaneously torturing 3 men from different backgrounds is a device that amplifies the helplessness factor in S&M scenes, for those of masochistic tendencies. It invites them to visualise fellow-sufferers in a strange buddying arrangement that actually goes to the essence of our humanity as social animals.

 For sadistic minds it conveys a sense of greater power and a mechanism (illustrated here) for charting the degradation and breaking of the victims. This thieves mode of execution is probably the most extreme of the 3 men and that is vividly conveyed to the viewer, as is his masculinity despite his desperate plight. The bickering that erupts at this point is not without justification to objective observers.

 

The message of the upper picture suffers from the familiarity of the scene. The rather clumsy dialogue suggesting humiliation is subtly undermined by a composition that seeks to sanctify. In contrast, the more intimate lower image is a much more telling (and interesting) account of a man facing death. The artist draws out more details of the victim's suffering and bravery. (In contrast his companion seems cold and indifferent). If I were to describe this as a breath control scene you might see it in a completely different light.

 

The hot daytime orange of the scenes above is replaced by dramatic blues as menacing storm clouds make a typically mystical intervention. This image is pure propaganda but you have to admire the technique as the young narrator looks up to his (now) regal companion, offering himself up to the coming storm. The lads attitude is a stark contrast to the resentment of No 3, but I know who I prefer!

 

It's not part of the usual story but Yoshikazu even depicts the pathetic expiry of the young narrator and he does it in terms that can only be described as voluptuous. In seeking to express the desperate efforts of the crucified man to draw his final breaths he shows us muscles that are deeply folded by his exertions, all well and good. But these muscles are so well rounded they are positively alluring and give no sense of the physical deterioration and dehydration which will have brought him to this point. A heroic death, but not a realistic one.

You can easily find out about Yoshikazu's manga work on-line but I don't think there's much else of a gay flavour to find, tell me if I'm wrong!

There are already many other examples of crucifixion posted in this blog, which you can view by clicking the label at the foot of this post. Most of these depict it as an abstract , intimidating punishment or trial of strength and do not feature the iconography that specifically connects it to the Christian Religion.

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A-Z of Fetish Artists - Yana Goya

YanaGoya - Avengers - Tony x Steve

 A stylish artist, the depiction of the bearded man's face is extremely effective. YG captures a simple bondage scene which probably defines the genre when all the S&M trappings are stripped away. "You like it really, don't you?" as they say in the trade. The blush effect linking the captive's embarrassment to his erection is a neat device but the colouring jars a bit with the sophisticated tones that dominate elsewhere in the picture. 

YanaGoya - SPN - Dean x Castiel - Chains

 A variation on the same theme using chains (well loosely!) The link to the fetish genre is a little tenuous here, but I like the hand delving within and the very nice rendering of the two lads hair. Regular readers won't be surprised to know that I haven't got a clue what the titles refer to but 'd welcome advice from my more knowledgable readers via 'comments' below

YanaGoya - GridGames 09

There's definitely fetish content in this image, the like of which I don't think I've ever featured here before. You can take your pick of what the substance being used to coat the captive's nether regions might be - add yukk to your own taste - but the erotic sensation the artist is trying to convey is probably known to all of you, cold damp sand from the beach being a fairly obvious example. 

I'm not entirely enamoured of YanaGoya's slightly spikey style but there's a sense of youthful experimentation about these images which is quite charming.

If you search on-line you will find plenty of Yana Goya's work including some nice vanilla encounters, however I haven't been able to find a gallery site to link to (info welcome)

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A-Z of Fetish Artists - Yamato

Also known as Yamato Saimon but I've listed him under Y because he signs his pictures as Yamato
He's also known under the name Fuwa

Yamato - Copulation

 We're in the realm of bondage here but not Yamato shows it in public places (a building site in this case) not hidden away in dungeons. The participants are muscular but with fleshy, chunky builds. Yamato's Japanese background comes through strongly in the facial features and clothing. In this picture there's also some striking similarities with the style of Hasegawa, in the strong diagonal line of the composition for example and the sensual shading technique (which ultimately descends from Tom of Finland). The foreground face is delicious for lovers of chunkies. The half-hidden character at the back, with his drooping cigarette and slightly angular features could have been transplanted directly from one of Hasegawa's works.

Yamato - He was the Object of Everyone's Anger

 You can tell from the title that Yamato is trying to tell a story in his pictures and it's a tale of the humiliation of a strong man, symbolised by the judo outfit which ties him into strong Japanese traditions of warrior manliness. The colouring of the dildo on the other hand suggests links to the theatrical imagery, which we also find in Hasegawa's work - masks, batons etc. I imagine that also brings specific meanings and flavours into this situation which a Japanese person would recognise but I'm afraid I'm not knowledgeable enough to pronounce on it here (information welcome from readers).

Yamato - Laying Eggs

 Yamato is flirting with niche fetishes here but keeping it clean I'm glad to say and it's a nicely balanced composition. Body tattoos are another typical feature of Japanese homoerotic imagery and I believe that it signifies a sort of rough masculinity (but not necessarily connected to social class). So in this picture there's a sense of self-abasement in front of un-tattooed, ordinary guys.

Yamato - The Light Through The Darkness

The influence of Tom of Finland is quite explicit in this work, not only are the trees and park bench a sterotypical Tom cruising location, Yamato has drawn them exactly as Tom would have done and indeed there's a very similar scene in Kake 5 (Nasty Nature Trail) reviewed here. In Tom's version a cop is seen approaching the helpless captive, whereas here we just see a light through the trees, someone drawn to the beacon provided by the burning candles. The symbolism of this scenario, like fireflies finding each other in order to mate, is rather more sophisticated, deep even, than Tom's work and very Japanese. Also while Tom did depict encounters between strangers with the possibility of unpredictable outcomes, they usually turned out to be very predictable, i.e. wham, bang, thank you mam. He rarely showed anything as explicit as this situation, where the S&M bondage adds rather intense possibilities to the forthcoming encounter with a person whose proclivities and limits are completely unknown. We can only speculate whether he will leave the victim to his fate with the burning candles or substitute something more personal for them or even assume more extreme trials are in order for the helpless man he finds.

You might like to look back at the second picture at this point and see a similar scenario which you might have missed first time round.

I haven't found a website for Yamato's work but there must be more around for an artist of this calibre. Unfortunately Yamato is a common name in Japan.

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)

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Yael

Yael - Ishida being Medically Examined

 Arguably I'm breaking my no-CGI rule with this artist, but Y is short of talent and these images are well-worthy of inclusion with the artist's innate abilities shining through the computer's glossy veneer. This image captures brilliantly the squirming of the captive as he braces himself against the various external assaults on his body and his own internal orgasm (dramatically manifesting itself in the foreground). There are some great details, like the menacing curve of the dildo, the strap squeezing his body in tight, the creases and depression in the pillow as his head pushes back into it and not least the rolling back of his penis hole as the probe enters into it. For that I can forgive the lurking alien. I'm afraid the character names in these images mean nothing to me but I imagine they bring extra dimensions in, for those better versed than I in such matters.

Yael - Caught in the Sky

 This picture has similar characteristics but the artist's skill in depicting the tension of the captive's body infuses it with energy, bringing to life the jaded 'legs open' tentacle cliche. He's made strenuous efforts to depict aggressive 'invasion' here, not just with the radiating spray of ejected juices but also the more subtle bending of the cock under pressure - a fiendish torture in it's own right and one I can't recall having seen in a picture before.

Yael - Naruto's Worst Nightmare

This is a great idea but a scene that's hard to exploit fully due to the most promising area being out of sight. In our house putting the roll of paper that way round would attract even worse retribution! Despite the comic jokiness, the pants round the ankles position is a great suggester of vulnerability, simultaneously uncovering and hobbling the wearer. And who hasn't imagined creatures lurking just round the bend? In addition, for the Japanese, the octopus/squid is a classic symbol of erotic desire, memorably conjured up in Hokusai's image "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" (below). I'm not sure I can see how that fits into this scenario though!

 

 See also Naomichi, Logan, Priapus of Milet and With No Title 

for some modern gay takes on this idea. 

For encounters with other creatures click on the labels below

 

I am taking the name of this artist from Olaf who posts at GMBA google group (latest link in sidebar), what he puts on his drawings is quite different, as you can see. If anyone can clarify I'd be glad to hear from them.

 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)

A-Z of Fetish Artists - The letter Y, Yahn

Yahn - Whipmaster

The letter Y offers slim pickings for fetish fans, but this image by Yahn is a classic. There's a lot of style in this picture, from the pointillist technique to the dramatic, grilled window in the background. It's heavily laden with S&M detail too, informative tattoos, glinting body accessories and the paraphenalia of punishment. There's much that reminds you of the brooding work of Rex were it not for the face of the Master here, which seems to veer towards caricature. That somehow takes the edge off the drama and the prisoner, balancing precariously seems confused too.

I've known this image and the name Yahn for years and was surprised to find this was the only piece I had by him, I'd welcome any information my readers may have about him.