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Jockinbignikes  - Omar, Your Delivery Driver

Omar didn't mind when wearing shorts was made compulsory.
He made sure he had everything securely packaged.

~

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~ 

Art by Jockinbignikes @deviant art

9th July 2025 

Steve Masters' Fisherman

Steve Masters - Fishing For Sport

 Steve Master's take on Fishing is very different to Stephen's accident prone, 'Dangerous Sport'. 

The Angler here is amazingly well-equipped, with waders, a realistically detailed rod and an array of hooks dangling from his backside as well as a couple in his hat. A sophisticated harness enables him to rest his rod comfortably in his groin. He appears to be straining backwards purposefully, as though he's just caught a big one.  

The happy figures in the foreground seem as if they might to be his earlier catches. There's another swimmer passing by who looks as if he wouldn't mind joining them. A hook dangles dangerously just in front of his trunks and one wonders if a line, out of sight, connects it to the tip of the fisherman's rod. 

It's also possible to interpret this as a satisfied customer departing, and taking the dangling hook with him as a souvenir.  

The clothes worn by all the men are tight and revealing. The leotard of the reclining figure in the foreground quickly catches the eye. It was Steve Master's style to allow physique details to show through fabric, almost as though they were transparent, but he's muted them here in a concession to realism. He's depicted a daring double lump in the groin area, a clever example of 'hidden eroticism' (see label at foot of post). 

The swimmer, looking back over his shoulder, is the only character who is acknowledging the others. He is clad in trunks which are brief for the era*, showing lower buttock flesh. The waist line (also low) has a V-shaped dip at the back, repeated in the hoop pattern. The design points and flows towards the man's rear erotic zone, of course, so it's significant that he is presenting his backside to the others - and us.  

This V-dip back shape can also be seen in pictures by Tom of Finland. It mirrors the line of a posing pouch support string, but I have never seen a real pair of trunks like it.  

The most subtle item of clothing, and for me the sexiest, are the fisherman's shorts. Tight fitting and brief, they are easily missed, thanks to the panoply of leather straps and gear draped sexily over them. 

One such strap is supporting the waders. It's a curious design, with double attachment loops rather like the braces that used to be worn to support trousers in the days when a loose fit was the norm. Even more interestingly, the second strap, securing the far wader, somehow descends on the inside of the fisherman's leg, from somewhere in the region of his groin.  

The waders themselves are lightly shaded to identify them as clothing, but the leg shape inside them is visible, as if Masters was simultaneously visualising them as sheer stockings. He's left two leg positions visible, as if he couldn't decide whether the knee was bracing or flexing. 

 *This image was published in Fizeek Art Quarterly (Fall 1964) 

~

Steve Masters is badly unrepresented at this blog, an omission I must correct! However, there is also an article at mitchmen with a
 spanking picture by Steve Masters  

 

Stephen/Etienne's - Fishing is a Dangerous Sport (revisited)

  This article is a complete rework of my original post about this Fishing Storylet by Stephen/Etienne, augmented by the unearthing of several more images and an original Kris brochure with thumbnails of the 6 images belonging to the set. 

Stephen - Fishing is a Dangerous Sport

 

Stephen produced this delightful little vignette to accompany the brochure entry. His characterisations of innocent/naive, young men (usually blond) who seem completely unspoiled by life and ripe for new experiences at the hands of other men are one of the recurring joys of his work.  

 

Stephen - Fishing is a Dangerous Sport - 1

 I salvaged this first image from the thumbnails in the brochure (which is included as a link at the foot of the post). It's poor quality, but suffices to set the scene, showing a scantily clad man, standing by a lake, holding a fishing rod in one hand and reading a very large book with the other. Presumably instructions on how to use his rod (!) It looks as if there's a campfire burning just behind him. 

We can see he's quite muscular, with pecs and nipples showing through his tight T-shirt. He has legs are like the proverbial tree trunks and his skimpy shorts, accordingly, are slit open at the sides. 

This is the sort of picture that is easily overlooked in isolation. Hopefully there's a copy out there somewhere. 

 

Stephen - Fishing is a Dangerous Sport - 2

 In picture 2, we see the results of the novice's first attempts at casting his line. At least, I assume he is practising because he's facing away from the water and I would hope he hasn't decided it's supposed to be cast back over his shoulder! 

He has accidentally hooked another fisherman's pants and torn them wide open. The diminutive buns revealed are fairly typical of Stephen's work. His depiction of the novice is rather indifferent, but fear not, much better is to come!

This image looks as if it has been cropped* and the brochure illustration confirms that it has. Although we can't see the detail clearly, it also seems to show the angler's shirt being ripped off as well as part of his pants.  

*This image has probably been scanned from a magazine, hence the cropping and the dark stain at the top, which would take a better technician than I to remove! I can't ID the source.

 

Stephen - Fishing is a Dangerous Sport - 2 (detail)

Image 2 also circulates in this, more severely cropped form and with shaded details like the fisherman's skin and his hat band. It's primarily intended to draw attention to his exposure, I suppose! 

This version is from Fizeek Art Quarterly No 22 (1967), a darker variant also exists (even more cropped), taken from Mars No 12. 

Tom of Finland could lay claim to having used the pants-ripping fishing hook before Stephen (see my original post)
 

Stephen - Fishing is a Dangerous Sport - 3

Stephen's dramatic confrontation between the two fishermen is one of his most forceful and technically convincing images, but it's rarely seen, perhaps because of the lack of other images for context. 

There's a striking contrast between the comprehensively equipped 'pro' fisherman on the right (complete with hooks in his hat) and the intimidated amateur on the left, whose incompetence has caused the conflict. The aggressor has quite a military look about him, but the other man is portrayed as a bumpkin. Admittedly he has stylish hair, but he's dressed in trainers (see below) and skimpy cut-offs held up by a knotted rope. That rope 'belt' seems ripe for exploitation later on!

The offender has a deliciously sheepish look, quite out of keeping with his relatively mature-looking face. He seems highly vulnerable as his T-shirt is pulled upwards. It's in danger of being ripped off altogether. The drooping waders provide a corresponding hint of advanced undress in the aggressor. 

 

Both men sport interesting bulges, but any more suggestive erotic flavouring is limited to a fish's tail* dangling from the basket just above the offender's crotch and a solitary bulrush amongst the reeds groping up behind his legs. (Those reeds look as though they might have been a late addition to disguise an unsuccessful foot). We might include the handle of the fisherman's 'rod' as another erotic ingredient, at a stretch. 

*Tom of Finland also employed the niche eroticism of dangling fish in a less serious encounter (see Part 2 of the original series). 

 

 

Stephen - Fishing is a Dangerous Sport - 4

The hapless novice is upended, and his shorts are unceremoniously removed, revealing his own, peachy bottom. He seems to have sustained a fair amount of collateral damage resisting his attacker, with cuts, bruises and a black eye visible. It's a trifle disproportionate. No wonder the fish in the basket is drooping!

 

At this point, the attacker actually has his upended victim sandwiched between his thighs, but in order to maintain a decent distance between their 'delicate' areas, Stephen has had to give him an improbably long right thigh. He's signalling what he would like to happen, but daren't draw.

 

Stephen - Fishing is a Dangerous Sport - 5

Image 5, taken from the brochure (sorry!) is equally oblique. The novice, facing downwards, is straddled by his opponent, who leans back, ripping his shorts to pieces. The victim's arms draped over the over man's knees are a nice detail, accentuating his utter defeat. Stephen uses it a lot.

 

 The angry angler still has his waders on, so logically he would still have his pants on too, but it doesn't look like he does. There's no sign of the black belt, even in this indistinct image. There's something on the ground, extreme right, which might be the pro's pants or his fishing basket. Dare we think that he kicked off the trousers to hook his prey, then put the waders on again for the kinky hell of it? You might just discern the hint of a lump, or something curved, at his crotch. 

 

To the right, behind him, is one very naked backside and two very open legs (another Etienne trademark). Between the legs lies a fish, which I suppose is supplying one of the 'eyes' in the caption. Its phallic purpose is obvious anyway.  

 

I'm less optimistic about discovering this one,

 it seems too edgy to have languished so long, unshared. 

 

 

Stephen - Fishing is a Dangerous Sport - 5a

 This picture does not appear at all in the Kris brochure. It's clearly a draft for an alternative vision of the shorts-ripping episode above. A safer one in one way, with no hint of physical contact between the men, who are not even facing each other. 

 

It was intended to be more explicit, with the battered victim's crotch in plain view and no obvious excuse for a covering. The vengeful aggressor's heel is positioned where he can administer a back heel, as his coup de grâce. We can see that he has indeed stripped down to his waders and is displaying his backside to his victim, apparently with no qualms at all. 

 

You may recognise the victim's 'laid back' pose from other early Stephen/Etienne images. The damage is a bit too graphic for my taste. I probably got this image from the Leather Archives website. 

 

 

Stephen - Fishing is a Dangerous Sport - 6

In the final image, the scene moves to the Hospital. The careless novice sits on the bed, nursing his injuries. His arm is in a sling, there's a hefty bandage round one thigh, another round his head. Numerous sticking plasters can also be seen. In a neat symmetry, he's again reading a book, perhaps working out where he went wrong. 

 

Beyond him, the Doctor seems to be amused. It looks like he's carrying something that looks vaguely like a sundae, maybe fish pie!

In the foreground, a temperature chart suggests rising tension.

 

Like the first image, this one could lie, unrecognised in an Etienne collection somewhere, filed under 'medical' (like another well-known 'orphan'). 

 

Etienne - Medical Sadism 

 

This image looks as though it's been adapted from the same composition. 
 

~ 

 

View the original Kris Brochure for this set.

 

The original, mitchmen, Fisherman series explores other images with a fishy theme, both by Etienne and other early artists.

 

 ~

 

There are numerous other posts about Etienne here at mitchmen,

check out my Etienne index for articles mainly about him,

a general search on Etienne will bring up every reference.

 

There's also an 'Exclusively Etienne' Google Group 

that's easy to join.   

 

Recent art by Hongd542

Captive

This muscular man is being held prisoner. He's been stripped to his underpants and ritualistically tied up in shibari-style rope work. A bare topped captor silences his protests. The sun streaming in through the window cruelly mocks his captivity. An array of instruments in the background suggest other torments lie ahead.

 

Cop

A cop in his office pauses from his paperwork for a coffee (product placement!) and a snack. He, too, is mightily muscular, filling out his uniform with every part of his body. Tight enough to show us that he isn't wearing any underwear. Some Offices have that as a rule. The doughnut he's nibbling provokes ribald comments about licking tasty rings from his colleagues. 

 

He might easily be the captive of image 1.

 

Convict

It's easy to visualise him as a prisoner. Restrained with handcuffs, forced to wear the humiliating stripes of a convicted felon and made to submit to intrusive searches at the whim of his jailers. His resentment is apparent, but futile. They will have their way. 

 

Victim

It's even harder, out there on the streets. Danger lurks in every alleyway, and even a street-wise man can fall foul of what lurks there, waiting for an opportunity to sate its lust. 

 

Sportsman

 The sports field should be a place of refuge from the world's evils, a place of relaxing, healthy exercise. But even there, a muscular man is at risk. Teams bend the rules, ostensibly to be the winners, but no sporting triumph can beat the thrill of scoring in the goal that lies hidden in every opponent's shorts.

 

Locker Room Lollipop

As the Cop with his doughnut discovered, things that melt in the mouth can stoke an appetite for savoury treats. There's no shortage of men eager to give them instruction in the locker rooms. It's not only narcotics that get you hooked.

 

Fetish Date

The discipline of team sport is good preparation for the rigours and training for formal servitude. Every journey begins with the first step, but this hunk can scarcely have imagined where that lollipop and curiosity would lead him. 

Juicy Fruits

Temptation abounds in every profession. Stoked by unscrupulous employers who impose quick-release uniforms on their workers. They are designed to assert their power over them - and, by a happy coincidence, satisfy their tastes for eye candy of the masculine kind.  

 

Underwear Inspection in the Army

It's no different in the army. The uniform is prescribed and regularly inspected. Even a soldier's underwear is inspected periodically to make sure it is clean and without creases. The Sergeant thinks it helps with unit bonding.

 

See also 'Peacekeeper' at 'X' 

 

 

Office Boss

Some Offices make their employees wear shorts. In this one, the roles are reversed on 'Dressing Down Friday', with the workers finding skimpy shorts for the Boss to wear and showing him what it's like to be the underling. It's all taken in good spirit usually but, as with any Office 'do', it's wiser to not drain his patience completely. 

 

 

Office Suspension

For those that go too far, there's Suspension Saturday. This happens quite often to employees who happen to be good-looking. They can't show their contrition by writing out lines, of course. Instead, the Boss comes in to see them when he thinks they've had enough and extracts whatever he wants from them on the spot.

 

Office Dicktation

Men with exceptional credentials and malleability may even get promoted to be the head honcho's PA. Their duties mainly involve looking hot when doing the filing and sitting on the bosses knee to take his dicktation. Little extras in their pay packets are their reward for allowing access to their play packets. There's also a bondage bonus if they have to stay late for 'over the knee' overtime. He doesn't take no for an answer. 

 

 

Office Primer

 Some new employees find this culture difficult to adjust to, but primer courses are helpfully provided for promising entrants. In the privacy of the medical centre, they are shown what will be expected of them and how to make the most profitable use of their natural abilities. They are also taught some unnatural ones that might come in useful, too. It's a hard and sweaty induction.

 

 

Milking Medic

The highly experienced medical staff are well-equipped to allay their patients' anxieties about the sometimes-invasive procedures. Their expertise always gets the best out of their charges, who leave exhausted and drained, but with happy memories. 

 

 

Office Restroom

 The pressures and tensions of such jobs are enough to drive any red-blooded male to seek respite in the restrooms. There they can find relief - if one of their equally-aroused colleagues doesn't find it for them first.

 

~

This is Part 5 of my series about Hongd542's AI art,
Earlier articles: Part 1 contains onward links through to Part 4

Hongd542 posts enormous quantities of art and surprisingly rude versions of his images at his Hongd542 Deviant Art site 

otklad - AI Spanking Art 4

1

 This is a great image that doesn't really need to be particularised. A young man in shorts is intimidated by the muscular, older man right behind him. In otklad's universe he's probably cutting a switch for his own punishment under close supervision, his offence undisclosed, but there are many other interpretations. 

 

He's already cut an enormous pile of wood, suggesting he's gardening, pruning the tree, not just a delinquent on punishment detail. I can't help thinking that he looks a lot more excited than you'd expect a gardener to look too.... 

 

Hard At Work

 

 My take, for a change, is benign. Even when they are old enough to be at work, young men often have a terrible fear of their elders seeing into their soul.

 

 

2

This one is a bit harder to fathom. The characterisations of the two men don't readily fit the 'cut your own punishment switch' scenario. They seem too mature, and the spectacles disable conventional stereotyping. 

Of course, no man is ever too old or too responsible to be spanked, and there's a certain deliciousness in that. But if he's not a pliable son, still living at home, what's he doing in his shorts in the garden?  

 

Sauna Surprise

 

I resorted to the gardener meme again, recalling those ads where women ogle the bare top hunk mowing the lawn. The spectacles give this one a bit more class. The thinking man's crumpet, but not an easy lay on the face of it.

Woodshed Switch

 

This role reversal exploits the more equal relationship in a surprising way. Normally, spanking punishment is conducted in the privacy of the woodshed, to spare the victim's blushes. These look like spacious, private gardens, but the implied proximity of the punishment to home makes the open air option much more humiliating - and dangerous too, if there is a shared secret involved, providing the leverage for the neighbour. 

 

John just has to hope that nosy, Mrs Pringle doesn't pop her head over the fence for a chat with her attractive neighbour.

 

 

3. Missed Another Practice

Ah, the locker room substituted for the woodshed and the good old, traditionalist coach enforcing discipline. He can't be left out of any spanking equation, but changes in society over the years make it increasingly improbable for younger members of our tribe. 

 

The threat of being dropped from the team is no less potent, though. Just ask any Premier League footballer.  The coach's long-suffering expression here makes this image a little bit special, and I built on that for my take.....

 

 

Home Alone

'Home Alone' was never like this, but then again, those burglars didn't find a fully grown up, young man in occupation of the house when they thought the householder was away on holiday. This one's not been left behind by mistake, but has reached an age when he makes his own holiday arrangements with his friends from Uni. 

 

This intruder has obviously done his homework and has detailed plans for enjoying their long weekend together. He's calculated that a bit of controlled aggression will ensure compliance - and it's working so far. He even brought a change of clothing and selection of toys for them to play with. Next up is adjournment to the bedroom, for a careful, military style, inspection of the younger man's shaving.

 

 

4. A Little Chat

 

Otklad draws a veil over causation here too, but the undressed 'son' in this scenario is obviously too old to submit to being spanked easily. His father doesn't look much older for that matter. Perhaps he's a step-father, in which case friction between them is almost a given. He is also allowed to be cruel. Perhaps the step-son, home on vacation from uni, is learning that the house rules have changed in his absence. 

 

It was this image that suggested the 'Home Alone' scenario to me. The father figure with the retro look here, irresistibly reminded me of one of those cute, earnest detectives from crime dramas in the days when realism played second fiddle to star appeal at the box office.  

 

  

Interview With A Victim

The keen, young detective, in his quest for the truth, asks the victim to reenact the ordeal he suffered at the hands of a cruel intruder. Being a little wet behind the ears, he doesn't realise how embarrassing his questions are, particularly for a young man who has stripped to his underwear for the demonstration - and also finds him very attractive. 

 

You might suppose that the brush was used to dish out a traditional, post-shower paddling. In fact, the intruder's modus operandi was much the same as the one above. The shower was followed by a cleanliness inspection and finding himself dissatisfied, the invader finished the job himself. With relish.

 

The victim reluctantly explained that his second cleansing included vigorous scrubbing under the armpits and between the legs. Where the brush ended up after that meant that the intruder's DNA would probably have been wiped off the handle. 

 

More to come! 

 Read this series from Part 1

search "otklad" at mitchmen  

 

~ 

The imagery of otklad on 'X' is a great archive. 

He's now creating newer art on otklad.bsky.social 

Art by David Angelo - 2

 More David Angelo in Part 1 

 

David Angelo - The Swimmers

Underwater swimming was another theme beloved of 60s artists who wanted to add a touch of class to their erotic imagery. There was great potential for playing with graceful body shapes, and it was a legitimate excuse for depicting nude men together, reliving youthful adventures. The intersection of knee and groin here is a great example of 'hidden eroticism' (see labels at foot of post) but you will observe that an attempt to sneak in something naughtier was foiled by a keen, censor's eye.

 

David Angelo - The Swimmers

 Angelo contented himself with modestly interlocking limbs here, using streams of air bubbles to obscure naughty bits. The result is not entirely what the censor would have wished. With the inverted swimmer, the bubbles unexpectedly convey a sense of sexual excitement. Down below, his hand seems to have swept across his companion's groin leaving a stream behind that is full of teasing ambiguities. Angelo's treatment of the swimmer's hair in both these images is a well observed, lifelike detail, but not entirely without erotic significance either.

 

~ 

 

Like the cowboy fad, the interest in underwater action had its roots in TV and film. War films had introduced many to the role of the 'frogmen' who sabotaged the enemies warships during WW2. Lionel 'Buster' Crabbe was something of a celebrity for his wartime exploits and mysterious disappearance. His handsome namesake, an Olympic swimmer turned actor, muddied the waters for gay men by starring as Tarzan and Flash Gordon. TV added a different dimension with craggy Lloyd Bridges having underwater adventures in 'Sea Hunt' while Hans and Lotte Haas were a leading part of an exploration genre which introduced viewers to the underwater wonders of the sea.

 

David Angelo -Divers

 The underwater adventure and exploration themes often converged in dramas that depicted interactions with the inhabitants of the sea. Octopus and squid were the usual dangers, but this is a very curious mix which seems to depict a dolphin or fish as a threat and yet there seems to be intensely erotic interaction going on between the three of them. Is the diver protecting his friend from the phallic enormity pressing down on him, or is he jealous of the frottage that seems to be going on? 

 

Both humans seem to be finding it exciting. Their incongruous posing pouches, an unnecessary choice in this scenario, are bulging and seem to signal that the artist saw it as having a gay, erotic dimension. One that is helped immensely by the pleasing composition he has developed.

 

David Angelo -Diver Rescued

In this astonishing picture, Angelo goes further than erotic innuendo. The rescuer's fingers are clearly touching his buddy's pouch, and his own, straining with desire, is nestling underneath an upraised leg. No gay man could mistake the meaning of this arrangement of limbs. Nor could they fail to connect with the rescue scenario, with the ultimate gay-fantasy outcome in prospect. 

 

Angelo - Door Knob 

 

Angelo's other contribution to gay culture of the 60s was a series of delightful cartoons. He wasn't alone in exploring the possibilities of accidental disrobing, but this character has an innocent, boyish charm that is memorable.   

 

Angelo - Pitch Fork

Rather less innocence is in evidence here, with the yokel's pitchfork having performed a more efficient job than the doorknob in the previous example. For the avoidance of doubt, he hitches his thumb into his waistband, pulling it down and touching himself. The victim meanwhile makes a show of covering up but doesn't take evasive action. Just checking which of those prongs is coming his way, I suppose. You know who else has 3 prongs.

 

Angelo - Valentine

A fanciful design for a Valentines card. The artist depicts Valentine/Cupid as a winged messenger, carelessly reclining across the top of his missive, like a Royale Studio model. His cargo seems to have 'accidentally' barged into the back of a nice young man, but he doesn't seem to mind at all. 

In some respects this is an image of separation, but the twin, trailing ribbons of a bow flutter between their legs, forging a light-hearted but distinctly erotic connection between them. Cupid draws it between his legs, seductively. His target lets the ribbon go, patting his pouch in anticipation and seemingly miming his size.

Their garments are frivolously decorated with flowers or bubbles (who knows?). However, the familiar ribbing of the jockstrap alerts us to their less romantic qualities, which seem destined to react together shortly. 

 

Angelo - Statue

Angelo's artiness got the better of him in this image, I fear, with a weird distortion of the horizontal and upright planes for the two figures to stand on. A slightly odd choice of pose for the chap in the foreground, too. Behold the conquering hero, I suppose, but the eye line isn't right and it looks rather like a weaponless archer at first sight. 

 

The interest lies in the way he has drawn his pouch, minimised and bulging. A captive beast. It's the same kink as the modern chastity cage. A far cry from modern depictions of this area, which usually demand much more fabric in any covering, in order to show an identifiable ramrod beneath it. 

More Angelo in Part 1 

For similar posts, click on the labels below 

Art by David Angelo 1

 

 The vintage gay art of the sixties that was printed in beefcake magazines of the time often seems quite amateurish, however this example by David Angelo has a pleasing blend of technical accuracy and sensuality. 

 

Inevitably, the model is clad in a posing pouch, a garment that often attracts derision in our own time, but the artist's treatment gives us a sense of size inside and entrapment, a straining to escape that shows us how the men of the time really saw it. Something truly erotic. 

More on vintage pouches 

 Angelo's drawing is based on a photograph of course, the model's physique and face looks rather like the great Rick Wayne.

 

David Angelo - Gunslinger

 

Cowboys were big in popular culture in the sixties, replete with handsome heroes. Angelo has given this one another idealised treatment, with prominent pecs and nipples straining at his tight shirt. The gun belt fulfils a similar restraining role below the waist. This last detail was not pure invention....

 

Robert Fuller as Jess Harper in 'Laramie'

  

Robert Fuller sneaking up behind John Smith in 'Laramie' 

 

David Angelo - Wrestlers

For this image of two wrestlers, Angelo has cleverly used the same stark lighting to cover up a bold erotic statement. 

 

One of the fighters is caught in a position where he's off-balance and vulnerable. His flimsy pouch inevitably draws the eye, but it's also attracted his opponent's hand. It's groping underneath, in the shadow of his groin. This hold has nothing to do with wrestling! 

In addition, the fighter in the foreground is totally naked, and the dark shadow that hides his far leg accentuates the impression that he's presenting his backside to us. 

It's not simply the sexuality that is so daring, it's the homosexuality. In 1960, just putting men together in a picture was suspect.

 

The lattice pattern in the corner is not part of Angelo's picture, it's part of an adjacent image in a magazine spread. 

 

 

David Angelo - Pop Star's Finale

In 1963 when this picture was published, pop music was starting to shed its veneer of respectability with Beatlemania converting music concerts into manic, adoration events. With its focus on young love, however, it was (and still is) relentlessly heterosexual. Not many pop stars dressed in transparent shirts and matador pants like this (not yet). 

 

Nevertheless, many gay artists tried to incorporate pop into their images. Tom of Finland's 'Ringo' openly sought to subvert the idea of straight entertainers and I suspect Angelo is doing that here too, by showing us his rear view, tensed above opened legs, raised up on tip toes. The singer seems to be ignoring his female fans, who are noisily lusting after his front profile. He's casting aside, too, the female shape of his guitar*. "Come and get me", he seems to be saying. To us, not them.

 

Ultimately these images fail to capture the magical attraction of pop stars, because away from the mic', he's just another bloke. I think I have seen art images of a star being seduced on stage, but I can't cite it at present. Sex in front of a horde of screaming women is a bit niche for me!

 

*The singer's own shape has interesting undulations at waist level, with an odd fit into his pants at the left. It's almost as if Angelo couldn't quite decide how slim, how masculine to make him look.

 

 

Angelo - Slave Auction 

Ever since Victorian times, the Slave Auction has been a 'go to' for artists seeking to portray gender power play and sexploitation in a semirespectable way. It fitted readily into the adoption of classical settings by gay artists seeking to avoid censure in the 50s and 60s. 

 

Angelo's Romanesque take has a very unusual night setting, giving him an opportunity to play with light effects*. The physiques of the two spectacularly muscular men who are manacled and up for sale, are greatly flattered by it - to the benefit of their value too, I suppose.  

 

A key ingredient in this scenario is the depiction of the slaves' emotions. One is proudly displaying himself, seemingly indifferent to the fate which might await him. His companion is, if anything, more muscular, but seems to be cast as a younger servant. He reaches forward, holding up the cloth which screens their groins (for the time being). 

 

The bidders we can see in the audience seem to have their own favourites, suggesting these two will not remain united after the sale.

 

*Angelo seems to have achieved this night effect using chalk or crayon on black paper. It gives something of an etched effect. Some of the detailing is spectacular - the creases of the toga for example. Unfortunately, his characterisation of the second slave, using voluminous hair and rounded cherub cheeks is very much of it's time and doesn't work for us, even if we believed in such improbable muscularity to go with it. With a man's head and face, the whole image would work much better.

 

~

 

More Angelo in Part 2 

 

 
 

 

 

FOOTNOTE