To my readers......

SITE UPDATE NOTICE

Thanks for visiting mitchmen, home of Mitchell's Gay Art

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Link to the Royale Studio Archive in the right sidebar


Message updated 6th Sept 2024

Wednesday, 13 November 2019

The Muscle Art of Stefan

I only have two posts at this blog reviewing body-builder photo-morphs - IFNB (2018) and 'Built By Tall Steve' (2017) but they are amongst the most popular articles here. Back in the mid 2000's the artist 'Stefan' was experimenting with similar ideas, putting beefy posers into richly erotic situations and clothing them in costumes that were skimpy to the point of downright rudeness. 

Stefan - Out and About
I love this image showing a mature and highly masculine-looking man squeezing himself into a sexy, near-transparent G-string on the beach and finding himself being observed by two younger muscle guys who are more conventionally dressed and watch him with serious, enigmatic faces. 
It's as though they are shocked and he himself is embarrassed by his desire to be an exhibitionist.   

Stefan - Check This!

Body builders are exhibitionists almost by definition and not necessarily modest in this day and age. 
Many flirt with the audience on stage wearing skimpy costumes made from exotic, glamorous materials.
Stefan's take on that imagines a smug-looking competitor showing-off the daunting girth of his love muscle as well, which matches the meaty bulk of the rest of his body. It seems as if there might be an equally impressive length dimension, but it's held back, compressed even, by the material of his G-string. Not quite enough to fully cover the root, however, leaving one to imagine a concertina-like expansion on release.

Stefan - Dream Ass

In this picture the overall bulk of the competitor's body is emphasised rather than his muscle detail.
Stefan re-imagines this chunky man in a backless thong with sexy side-strings which seem to cry out for a fan to creep in from the wings and give them a sharp tug to see what will spring out.

The garment gives extra exposure to the impressive gluteal development mentioned in the title.
It's front pouch looks tiny by comparison and is even cut away at the sides for added (revealing!) brevity.
It's rubbery look and bulbous, rounded shape give an impression of serious containment.

Stefan - Beach Routine
This man's garment is reduced further to condom-like proportions, with a serious risk of side-spillage.
That concern seems to be reflected in the beach hunk's face and inhibiting his outdoors work-out.
Dismayingly, his exercise excitement has lifted the pouch away from his body, giving a glimpse of an abdomen area which is normally hidden behind it. It's a very sexy moment.

Stefan - Come Closer

Despite the near-nakedness of body builder displays, they are normally safely separated from their admirers by a stage or a camera, set apart like the Gods of masculinity they hope they truly are.
The caption suggests the muscle man is drawing in the camera (which is the principal channel for the love affair with the fans) so that he might be admired in intimate close up. The skimpy, root-revealing Gee-string is clearly not excluded from that invite.

The image suggests an appealing desire to loved by the multitude of faceless followers, coupled with the equally attractive confidence to permit it and enjoy it. A slightly different take on the voyeuristic, adoring relationship between body-builders and their fans.
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There is an alternative reading of this image, equally evocative to those of a 'mitchmen' turn of mind. You can imagine this exceptionally bulky, gym fanatic looking down at the tiny pouch, perhaps not quite realising just how inadequate it actually is, and exclaiming "do I really have to wear this thing?"

The camera man of course has a repertoire of persuasive arguments to quell any real rebellion.
Controlling a strong man for pervy pictures by manipulating his vanity is perhaps a more exciting challenge than getting models (who really need the money) to reveal more than they intended.

Stefan - Teaser


This man has a very nice body indeed, with beautiful proportions and competition-standard muscularity, mellowed by a modest layer of fattiness that sensualises the skin texture by concealing the veiny, gritty detail deemed essential by true BB enthusiasts. Set against this perfection, the prodigious bulk of his poorly-hidden cock is almost shocking, the elephant in the room you might say.

   Stefan's title here seems to suggest that these hunky chaps are deliberately being provocative when posing, as though their desire to be admired is not fully fulfilled by their success in developing their bodies. Simply by substituting minimalist posing outfits for the more conventional clothing he draws attention to a hidden vein of earthier needs. In this particular image Stefan cleverly dips the top line of the pouch just that little bit further to give the bearer generous credit for his good fortune in the reproductive department and a warning to would-be beneficiaries.


Stefan - Muscle 21

In this delicious image he even conjectures a desire to shock and intimidate the other competitors.
Challenging by example their courage to go the extra mile (or extra inches perhaps I should say).

He's also intimidating them with the possibility that the judges might be tempted to add that final, crowning part of the male body to their Competition marking sheets (a la IFNB). In which case they might be found wanting in comparison with the mighty beast flaunting himself in front of them.

Competitor 104 certainly looks as though that thought might be in his head.
Number 108 already looks a no-hoper in that department, and seems genuinely impressed,
perhaps he's thinking about accepting a different sort of challenge.
 
Stefan - Untitled
Stefan is adept a choosing evocative images to manipulate - not just ones showing a man with a great body, but ones that catch a sense of personality or here a reaction to a significant moment.

This hardy character has entered the gym dressed in a typical Stefan gee-string of fairly conventional design but made of a lycra-like material that leaves nothing to the imagination. At least it doesn't now after a few vigorous exercises have got the blood flowing and sweat pores open.

It's a garment that would create a stir in the average gym at the best of times, although you can see in the background that trunks are acceptable here. I suspect our hunk might have gone too far with this little number and has been approached by a member of staff or fellow user who is unhappy about it offending other users or leading to unacceptable soiling of the apparatus.

Thus we get the image of a mature man of intimidating proportions looking cowed like a schoolboy as he is being told off for wearing gear more appropriate for someone half his age. At any rate his face and the out-of-balance pose suggests he's being told something he doesn't like and is at that delicate moment when he has to decide whether to accept gracefully and retire in humiliation or erupt in a bullying, steroid fit of anger.

Of course the explanation may be more prosaic. The next user asking him to get a move on or an admirer asking how he gets that lower body definition, or a lurker asking if he can buy his pants.


Stefan - Get Ready
This is a slightly softer variation of the themes we have seen above. The body-builder seems to be preparing to remove his pouch for the photographer to record evidence of his amazing dimensions. His look of concentration and fumbling is sweet, he's human underneath all the muscle tissue.

The photographer is already poised for his shot as though wary that the moment of exposure may be too fleeting. After all, the beach is deserted at the moment, but this modest chap might be spooked if any dirty old men or jealous body-builders notice what's going on and close in for a better look.

Stefan - Soviet Spaceman
Stefan's flair for putting real naked men into interesting and sexy fantasy situations finds a rather more artistic expression in this image combining a beefcake pose from the sixties with iconography relating to the great scientific adventures of that era. I'm pretty sure that body and sexy posing pouch (which has not been altered) belongs to the great Vic Siepke. The face does not however and it's possible it belongs to a real Russian astronaut. They briefly enjoyed the status of global, heroic pin-up celebrity in that era, although it's hard to believe such a thing could ever have happened now.

Deconstruction of uniforms and working gear usually yields sexy results and I have a weakness for sexy astronauts and their discipline myself. It's no surprise to see Stefan pairing astronaut kit with one of the briefest, legal Gee-strings ever seen. However in doing so he's making a quite profound connection between being gay (in an era of oppression) and having - and achieving- the highest human aspirations. It's not clear whether he's elaborating on that and encouraging young gay aspirants or cocking a snoop at the whole idea by putting a toy rocket into the  cosmonaut's hand.

You get a glimpse in this image of Stefan's wider abilities in artistry, design and style and I will explore this further in another article soon.


 This image doesn't have Stefan's signature and it's more grainy than his usual style, but it's a neat postscript, drawing on the same themes, arguably more emphatically. This body-builder seems to be hot with embarrassment and almost on the verge of tears as he struts his stuff in incredibly revealing posing briefs before an enthusiastic audience of men and women. The artist has tweaked his facial features to create a slightly awkward, geeky effect although the models chin, lips and nose are actually very sensually shaped. This has the side benefit of obscuring the identity of the original model, which is probably for the best.

Reinaldo Angra
I'm not sure if this is a morph at all, the model's endowment seems too modest for that
(although miniaturising is a sexy joke an artist might play on a muscle head).
His smooth, shaved abdomen accentuates the diminution, but real or not I find it sexy.

The slightly out-of- focus effect suggests some age for this photo 
but I can't find any trace of the model under the name given in the image details.

~

 
Stefan is still active on Deviant Art but seems to have left this type of art behind

Saturday, 9 November 2019

Beautifully Bound - Colby Jansen

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Wednesday, 6 November 2019

The Art of Kamui Jack

You'll find the work of this artist under the name Kamui, Kamui-Jack or simply Jack
Jack - Cops and Robbers (?) 2002
This is probably one of his best known images, a tantalising view of an arrest scenario which as far as I know has no follow-up image, so we can only speculate what the Cops reaction is to the arousal of his captive rogue (or is he detaining a cruising, gay man?). The two men seem to be pushing against each other here, creating an 'A'-shape that is visually pleasing and also gives the scene an element of tension. He conjures up a mean look for the cop which reminds me of the work of Les Farnak, but his metro-sexual captive is a lot more attuned to modern tastes.

Kamui - Slut Games 4 (2010)

Generally Kamui's pictures are joyous celebrations of man-sex and this is a rather splendid example. It's an appropriate post-script to the heaving struggles of the men engaged in the Rugby World Cup, which has just concluded. It's part of a series, rather unattractively named 'Slut Games'. The artist actually depicted it as a soccer match (round ball!) originally, but I think the chunky physiques and blunt physicality are a natural fit for Rugby players. It's what they do!

From the team colours, it looks as if Wales are shafting England - obviously we are talking fantasy here! Notice how the legs of the two rutting sportsmen create a frame for this composition, appropriately enough it's not unlike the H shape of the goal in Rugby (or American Football). It gives their coupling a sense of solidity and of the top bearing down on the bottom.

Jack - Hooded Jailors (2001)

 Although he often depicts hard-looking men, Kamui doesn't usually venture far into the dark realms of fetish. At first sight these chunky chains and medieval executioner's hoods suggest this might be a seriously S&M work, but on closer inspection you see it's just kinky sex, with no real overtones of domination or pain. Nevertheless it is a striking composition with a satisfying simplicity and balance.  In this picture the participants form a more distinct 'H' shape but this time the sense of stability and balance it creates seems to impart immobility too, depriving the image of it's essential energy.


Jack: The Black Missa - Drake vs Demon Lust

The bondage element in this image is equally understated and appears to require a magical dimension if it is to be effective. The submissive posture of the captive works much better here and the artist underlines his plight by showing the devil towering over him and even tilting the platform against him. You have to buy into the fantasy to fully encompass the full possibilities of the power being  brandished here.

There's a good deal of fantasy and games imagery in Kamui's work, but I haven't included much of it in this review, check out the links below for more. I don't usually go for fantasy characters at all, but make an exception for 'Drake' with his spiky hair-do and aerodynamic ears. Kamui's rendering of the devil here is also refreshingly and attractively human. Hairy legs like his could become a fashion!

This is another picture with an interesting and thoughtful composition. It's broadly defined by the arching sweep of the Devil's wings which seem about to engulf the helpless Drake, who despite his muscularity seems puny and exceedingly vulnerable. That shape is echoed in the misty, Gothic arches overhead, which in our culture often symbolise the battleground between good and evil, the real world and the magical 'beyond'. Indeed bright light pours down on the scene from a window above, but the Devil's wings prevent it from reaching Drake, casting him into the shadows. At the same time this image suggests that it's Drake and the Devil who are truly in the 'real world', placed on top of a very substantial looking rock while everything else around them is vague and insubstantial.

The title of the piece explains all, we're talking temptation and lust here not S&M. This handsome devil does not force himself on his captive but seduces him into his supposedly 'wicked' ways. The realisation of the concept by Kamui is very impressive. Notice that Drake is unaroused at this point but hopefully the next frame will see him liberated from the chains of sexual repression.

Jack - Ben's Victim_07 (2010)
Domination and submission are also much in evidence here despite the over-riding sexual thrust (as it were). The title of this series hints at things we don't talk about too much in this day and age but the rest of the collection covers an eclectic mix of stereotypes most of whom look more eager to be on the back seat of Ben's car than 'Oak Tree' does above.

He's probably just realised that Ben's reached the end of his attention span.

Jack - Cock Rider (2001)
Jack also does a nice line in more conventional, figurative art. This picture looks as if it might have been adapted from a Paul Freeman 'Outback' image. The credit for the pose and dress may be mostly his, but the addition of an erection jutting out from the strong diagonal trunk-line, like a thorn on a rose stem, is both erotic and rather clever. I'm just waiting for a man to come along and use that rope to tie this sleepy hunk's wrists and feet together behind the tree, so he can feast on the rose hip.
 
Jack - Hank Murphy
I don't know who Hank Murphy is but this image speaks for itself as pure, beefcake temptation.
There's a sequel (see links below) in which the spectacular contents of his jeans pop out,
 but I prefer the focus here on his muscular torso with trimmed pubes
and the hairy grow-back (the delicious corollary of shaving) in evidence higher up.

Jack - Hitchhiker after 2 hours (2010)
This image has the same simple appeal with the added bonus of white underwear straining to contain said assets. The yellow sign is none too subtle, but the overall scenario of roadside roulette (will your number come up?) is full of possibilities for both adventure and danger,enough to stoke anybody's erotic imagination. This is the middle picture of a sequence of three, showing progressive disrobement as frustration takes hold (see links again)

Kamui Jack - Boo! (Halloween, 2010)
Another nice, simple picture with a gentle humour that seems to add an attractive personality to complement this man's already desirable body. The sheet plays a similar role to the Devil's wings in the 'Drake' picture above and plays on the same theme of seduction and capture and yet the sense of attraction is utterly different. It's a matter of personality which you prefer.

Kamui Jack - First Encounter: Chris Redfield vs Sting Ray (2011)
Remember Chris Redfield? The hunky, 'good guy', Special Agent forever falling foul of lustful creatures from another dimension. I always felt his most attractive attribute was his ability to burst his pectoral muscles out of his T-Shirts and this is one of the best depictions of it I have seen.

I don't suppose I need to comment on the phallic dimensions of this blue beast, which seems to have a genetic kinship with the traditional deities of South East Asia. Chris seems oblivious to it's awesome size and obvious power - and to the confinement threat of the containers in the background - instead striking a gung-ho pose for us. Cocky or what? Kamui plays down the usual tentacles theme giving them a logical source as a Medusa-like hair-do, but confining them to a supporting role, waving in the background.

This is one of the most polished images in this selection replete with fascinating and erotic detail. It doesn't quite have the intensity of feeling or character interaction evident in the first few images of this post - but I admit to ignorance of the unspoken forces associated with these scenes.

Kamui Jack - Lost in the Jungle
Part of a series of illustrations for a story. I picked this firstly because I like this 'Ranger' variation of Kamui's usual beefy stud. The jungle setting with it's mysterious inhabitants and unknown dangers also has it's appeal and this one hints at more specific experiences in store for the lost explorer - and he seems to be thrilled by the prospect. Yes it's an unreal sterotype, but there always an erotic tingle when we meet men who are fundamentally different to us and that's what this is all about.


Kamui Jack - Steel Inside Me (2011)
From a story in which friends, Wolverine and Colossus, get to know each other better.
The Steel bit gives this essentially sex scenario a bit of a harder edge and the series as a whole has some memorable images including the one above in which Kamui's talent for strikingly simple compositions shows itself again, this time in the evocative forked shape of a letter Y.
Great Stuff!


You will have noticed that none of these pictures is very recent. I do not know if Kamui is still actively producing art but he has a Tumblr blog which doesn't seem to have recent entries and quotes a link to a Y-gallery site which is unreachable. There are decent collections at Daddy's here and My Reading Manga


Saturday, 2 November 2019

Asian Adonis


Actor He Wei
 In this post, a selection of images and extracts from a remarkable pair of films by director Scud, both starring Adonis HeWei (seen above). 'Utopians' charts a young man's sexual liberation and '30 years of Adonis' is the unconnected story of the rise and fall of a fading actor turned gigolo. The thoughtful musings on maleness are shot in an arty way with confusing flashbacks and dream sequences but they are also sexy and homo-erotic and both finish with a flourish of fetish.
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This first image is from the opening scene of 'Utopians' which depicts a party of young men enjoying an idyllic swimming party on a boat. These are not porn films, but they feature nudity and are frankly sexual and very homoerotic. This moment where He Wei dives into the depths leaving his friends behind, symbolises him beginning the exploration of his sexuality. He Wei's guitar tattoo (visible here) plays a key part in the closing scene of the diptych.



There is plenty of sex and nudity, but although it's explicit, it's not shot in the manner of porn films and it's much more focussed on striking imagery than the mechanics of sex. The hero has an affair with a professor at his college who just happens to live in a flat with a spectacular view.



(and a dizzying infinity pool).

with a splendid view!




 This film has an unexpected conclusion when the young man's exploration of his sexuality eventually reaches the world of fetish and he submits to the whims of a woman and a man while tied to a cross.
This scene ultimately welds the two separate films together.

See the scene here:- Utopians by Scud
(please let me know if this link stops working by posting a comment)


In '30 years of Adonis' He Wei plays an actor/dancer whose career is not progressing.
Frustrated by his setbacks he decides to supplement his income by becoming a gigolo

Scud has been criticised in some quarters for producing a porn film. I suppose you might call this gratuitous nudity and it's amazingly erotic, but it's not porn and not entirely irrelevant to the context of  a failing career either - think of 'the emperor's clothes'.



The film features beautiful dream sequences which are puzzling in their detail
but obviously intended to represent explorations and new experiences.


Here, He Wei meets a notorious gangster played by Eric East
(who is a Japanese porn star, but doesn't display those skills in this film)



He recruits the inexperienced gigolo to provide sexual services for a mass orgy.


He and other sex-workers are repeatedly used by priveledged clients
in a highly stylised, pseudo-crucifixion sequence
which visually resembles the forest dreamscape seen above

There are some brutal moments in this scene, underlining the one-sided exploitation.
The gigolo doesn't even get paid for it, but he gets his revenge later



He humiliates the gangster in a fleeting but memorable scene
showing him suspended naked under a cold waterfall.


Needless to say, the gangster is very displeased by this treatment.


The gigolo later finds a path to romance and happiness in the conventional world
including a striking scene shot on an elevated platform symbolising idyllic isolation
from the cares of the world.


Life isn't like that for long of course, he resumes his acting career without success
and is eventually persuaded to return to sex work.

The job turns out to be a rerun of the red crucifixion scene.....


......with a different customer who recognises the young man's guitar tattoo.

This closing fetish scene forges an indelible connection between the two films, shot in an almost indentical way but with a chillingly different outcome the second time around 
(which is sign-posted but not shown explicitly, leaving you to imagine).

 Trailer:- 30 years of Adonis by Scud

These films are baffling but beautiful at first sight and the links and meaning only become (more) apparent in hindsight. It helps if you watch with someone else and can discuss it afterwards.

You can enjoy them anyway for their sexual frankness and surprise use of a fetish theme in a believable, real world situation, dramatising the emotions of submission and helplessness .

Wednesday, 30 October 2019

Bareass Blogs No 39


Bareass Broad-shouldered Business Type

Tuesday, 29 October 2019

Monday, 28 October 2019

Bareass Blogs No 37


Bareass Bedside Manner
(Bad Behaviour in the Beauty Parlour)

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