Alien Experiment

AManNamedN - Conversion (2013)

AManNamedN makes a speciality of furry human hybrids and Incredible Hulk-like creatures but this one is pretty near human apart from his feet which match the structure of the alien overseeing the experiment. It's not clear which direction the conversion is supposed to be going in, but the 'human' is showing signs of life where it counts most. I hesitate to call it 'the elephant in the room' but machine and alien alike do seem to be studiously avoiding it!

The technology on show seems less modern than you might expect with a 'ray gun' design reminiscent of mid-20th century sci-fi comics and Frankenstein films. The blocky mounts and ratchets are coloured like rusting cast iron but it does tone in nicely with the alien's skin. 

See more of AManNamedN at FurAffinity

Milking Factories No 4

Choppski - Milking Factory

 Choppski has produced a nice neat facility here for milking semen from helpless hunks.

The extraction mechanisms vary slightly in detail, but there's a nice uniformity in the line-up

 which gives a real sense of a mass production set-up.

You will observe that these three captives have produced different amounts of 'product'. It isn't clear whether that is down to the efficacy of their machines, their own genetic make-up or something else. The relatively poor performance of the youngest-looking one is rather surprising.

I like the simplicity of the restraint arrangements in this image and the artist's decision not to include any body attachments or inserts for stimulating his 'Bulls' into action. It allows their total nudity to shine through.

The arrangements for keeping the milking sleeves in place on restless milk-ees are not clear either, some sort of suction perhaps? a clamp? a claw? Whatever the technology is, the visual effect is of the machine being totally in charge of each man who needs only to be tethered to be rendered totally subservient.

Notice the suggestion of a radiation hazard on the collection device!

Alien Semen Farm (attributed to Sarander) - click to enlarge

This sci-fi, semen farm is quite different. There's a variety of devices for controlling the humans while they are being forced to give up their seed. There isn't a strong sense of a production line. With the machines dotted around in random fashion, it seems more like an experimental lab set-up, while the Queen Bee presiding over events at the rear puts one in mind of a medieval despot's torture chamber. 

These men might be the luckless, captured crew of a space-ship, so perhaps they do have a novelty value to their captors, warranting experimentation. The aliens seem to know exactly what they want from them however - and the sexiest way to get it, with no expense spared! It's a matter of conjecture whether the leather gags and blindfolds are intended to stimulate the milk-producing crew in their endeavours or the alien spectators, but it's a detail somewhat at odds with the hi-tech setting.

The three devices on the right are actually more similar than they first appear and they actually follow the same, 4-limb restraint principle as Choppski's simple stands. However, these alien constructs allow their captives more freedom to squirm and buck as they give up their loads. Whether this enlightened, 'organic' approach improves the quality of the milk, or the yields, I cannot say, but I do like the open-legged squatting pose that seems to be the standard 'rest' position for this device.

The captive on the left is just being fitted with his catheter-like tube which will channel his production into the collection tubes when he's all connected up. This restraint chair seems extravagantly over-engineered in comparison with Choppski's vision but perhaps it's multi-purpose. 

I can't decide whether the captive on the far right has been temporarily disconnected while he has refreshments and is topped up with re-hydrating fluid or whether his alien attendant is priming him by hand, tickling his balls to get him going.

Visit No 5 The Milking Factory Development Lab

Previous Milking Factories: No 1 (feat Kalabro), No2 (feat Nowid), No3 (feat Cupcakes666)

Art by 3DWaxx

 

3D-WAxx - Relax

I've featured a few alien abductions in this blog but nothing quite like this. Normally it's very obvious what the alien is after and it usually involves intimate attachment to complex machines, usually in uncomfortable positions especially designed for human men. This alien however seems to want to sooth and calm his captive leaving his ultimate motivations deliciously obscure. He's an old-school, Trekkie type of creature which is somehow less intimidating anyway than the devilish creatures seen here of late. 

Nevertheless the abductee is firmly strapped down so he's not going anywhere just yet and he's also been fitted with a high tech collar which seems to suggest some sort of long term commitment is in prospect over which he will have no control. He's a clean cut looking fellow who many would like to add to their portfolio and have in a position such as this. Ginger hair has always had a special pulling power and, so it seems, trans-galactic appeal. There's a nice touch of authenticity in the skin colour.

This is a nicely-constructed understated render that fuels the imagination.

3D-WAxx - Market Day

This image is equally straightforward on the surface with a collection of hunky men being offered up for sale in a roman market with more in reserve waiting to take their place on the rostrum. It's doubtful that slaves of this quality were ever so numerous in practice so it's a crying shame that it's only a woman who is interested in them today. It's not clear whether she wants two of a certain type or is offering two units of currency for one, but either way the trader it seems is unable or unwilling to accommodate her - or perhaps he just wants a man to buy them. 

Quite right. I wouldn't mind the one second from the left.  

3D-WAxx - Failed Mutiny

There's a shade more edge to this example with a mutineer being whipped while tied to the mast of the ship. Another, noticeably younger, kneels close by waiting his turn. Both men have been stripped naked which is not general practice, but I suppose it takes the drudgery out of this thankless task for the coxswain (or whoever does the job). It also provides an easy way of checking that the men are not enjoying their punishment for the wrong reasons. The victim does look a little stiff!

It isn't obvious that the whip man has been overdoing it in his enthusiasm but nevertheless he's been interrupted by an androgynous-looking person who's obviously one of the big-wigs here despite a youthful appearance. Maybe it's because he isn't going at it harshly enough! I do hope that woman looking through the cabin window isn't trying to influence the proceedings.

There's a disarming innocence in the way this unpleasantness is presented that is like going back in time to simpler times. The two crew members casually observing proceedings as though this sort of thing happens all the time are very nicely done.

3D-WAxx - Josh In Trouble

I can always get excited about lifeguards and spanking and having one who is black lifts this image out of the ordinary. There's also a neat little twist in the narrative underneath that makes you go back and look at the picture all over again. Nice. 

3D-WAxx - Three Little Kittens

Don't you just hate it when someone does this to you? 

It's a little gem of observational art but then you ask yourself 'what on earth is going on here?' 

On the surface this looks like two friends have somehow acquired a captive and are preparing to get off on his discomfort. But it might also be read as another member of the group being primed for bondage himself. But then what does the title signify? It has the ring of covert surveillance, some one lurking, watching and waiting to seize the initiative once the kittens have done the groundwork for him and made themselves amenable to take-over.

Spooky.

3D-WAxx - Once Upon A Time

I can't say I like the women in this artist's pictures but it produces a rather nice sexual tension here with the dreamy boyfriend being held hostage by a mildly intimidating mutant being who obviously is quite fond of his catch and probably in two minds about freeing him let alone swapping him. It looks like they've already been rolling in the dirt. 

If he's capable of wielding that enormous thing dangling in front of him - I think it's called a flail - then I don't give much for the girl's chances of being able to influence this situation. Of course the whole idea of rescue is alien to this blog.

I reckon you should cut your losses and go home girl.

More fantasy scenarios like this at  3D-Waxx at Deviant Art 

His art is a pleasing mix of competent rendering, witty observation and appreciation of all things male with a mild touch of edge and lurking sexual opportunities.

The Art of Miloinvinculis

Miloinvinculis - Alien Hive

 I've been trailing a series of video clips by this artist in recent weeks (see Pirate Punishments). These show the (still developing) power of AI to create memorable, homoerotic film scenes which mainstream moviemakers dare not make, bringing niche gay fantasies to life, but without resorting to messy smut. This image is a good example, a still from a clip invoking the power of wetness and dripping 'substance', to underline the vulnerability of a chunky soldier who has somehow got himself stranded in an 'Alien Hive'. 

All the stills presented here come from clips, which you can view at the link given at the foot of this article. Most are quite brief, but add a bit extra to the story and often have a twist, right at the end. 

The old sixties film 'Mysterious Island' has a brief sequence in which a scantily clad cast-away is trapped by a giant bee in his honeycomb. Unlike the unfortunate above, he (a) is not tied up, (b) has a girl with him and (c) escapes almost immediately by melting the wax seal with a fire. Don't ask where he got the firewood and match from! Despite these shortcomings, I found that scene exciting (and frustrating!) when I stumbled on it. (I referenced this it previously here, in an article about the Art of Siproites, which features a giant scorpion chasing the hero into a similar, but botanical trap).   

The outcome of the 'Alien Hive' isn't specified by the artist (like all the best horror movies), 
but escape doesn't seem to be on the agenda.

 

Miloinvinculis - Bed Bondage 3

 Men tied to beds and struggling to escape are not an uncommon sight in our corner of the gay universe. AI to date has shown very limited power to depict bondage convincingly or capture the struggling effect. The spread eagle position is less of a challenge, but what the artist has done here is to provide a hunky subject and a stimulating, secondary predicament for him, wide open before a door, which is going to open at some point. To admit his captor, perhaps, who has been away, getting rid of a nosy cop. Home Alone should have been more like this! 

 

 

Nice Mistake (Video clip)

 

There's definitely a 'Home Alone' feel about this man's situation. His night visitor is so excited about the opportunity thrown up by his 'nice mistake', that he seems to overlook the logistical obstacles to taking full advantage of it. But, who can blame him for his over-eagerness? Fortunately, it appears that his hunky prey is too intimidated by his villainous appearance and aggression to offer any serious resistance. 

 

(Subscribers to the 'Follow Me' feed must vist the site to see the video content of this article, I'm afraid) 

 

 

Miloinvinculis - Caleb

'Caleb' is one of this artist's longer clips. We see him tied up in a van on his way to an uncertain fate. There's a lengthy bondage struggle in which the captive's body twists and turns, showing his heaving chest and the undulations and distortions of his muscles to great erotic effect. It's more effective in that respect than most of the real life bondage clips I've seen, where the models (understandably) usually lack any desire to escape, let alone the self awareness and flamboyance to act out a genuine escape attempt. Caleb's struggle is brought to an abrupt end when his captor returns with a taser (above), but it's fascinating and sexy while it lasts.

 

Miloinvinculis - At The Stake

 This is a great bondage image, with the neck restraint a fitting humiliation for such a big man. I won't go into the exact nature of his predicament, but there's a clue in the background. The resulting video clip is amazing, but graphic, so be warned.

 

Miloinvinculis - Captured POW's

The strength of this piece is the subtle plot development that happens in your mind as you look at it. The two, hyper-real hunks grab the eye immediately, men with faces, muscles and body hair to die for. Their dog tags and hands on their heads indicate they are POW's, but the handcuffs suggest that they are rather special prisoners. We can see that for ourselves, of course. 

 

There's something exciting about two buddies, who are in captivity together. Their identical underwear (sober black but pleasingly scanty) amplifies that sensation. Are their garments Government issue - or have they been provided by their captors, having relieved them of their uniforms?

Whichever the case, they are not soldiers any more. Just a names and numbers. 

These boys seem to be sitting on a mattress, not quite big enough to be a bed. Then you realise that the mattress is inside a metal box, and they are sitting on the front edge. The box is just big enough to accommodate them both, if not in comfort exactly. Their facial expressions suggest they have just discovered they are about to be sealed inside it. Prime specimens about to be transported to ......
Well, you can decide that!  

There is a video clip for this piece, but it doesn't add an awful lot to the snapshot.

 

Miloinvinculis - Bull Barn Milking 2

Industrial Milking is a popular topic at this blog, and 'Milo' makes an interesting contribution to the imagery of the technology with this piece. The exact mechanics of extraction look a bit sketchy, though. One senses this is more a prank on the side than part of a serious industrial enterprise. 

One man doesn't make a milking factory, no matter how productive he appears to be!

 

 

Miloinvinculis - Bull Barn Milking1

In this gentleman's case, the picture cropping draws a veil over the extraction mechanism, but you get the impression that it's more push than pull - unless there's some very clever gadgetry inside his trunks! That would account for his strained expression, of course. 

Nevertheless, these two donors would be more than acceptable recruits to the factory line. I could see this man's torso getting a good deal of personal attention from the staff. 

Such is the fate of 'Mark' in the next video mini clip....

 

Mark 1 Extra (video clip)
 

In the clip above, the very muscular Mark is seen struggling with his restraints until one of his minders descends on him and distracts him by proceeding to worship his pulsating body. The characterisation of the captor for me is worth the watch, with mighty shoulders and giant arm muscles, he's bursting out of his tight, white vest/tank top (see below).

 

 

bod

Mark's Body is Worshipped

Mark also has a starring role in a longer, mini-epic (9 mins) with similar imagery, but darker content. It's a tougher watch, but the outcome has a surprise twist that's worth waiting for. 

 

Miloinvinculis - Electro 5

This handsome pair of hunks get starring roles in one of Milo's most ambitious projects to date. Their predicament is a great 'getting to know you' situation - even for military buddies. There's a lengthy clip which shows them torn between attempts to pull apart and lapses into mutual consolation. Their grim dance is conducted with visibly indrawn breaths, heaving chests, aborted kisses and (occasionally) pulsating briefs before a sort of consummation is finally realised. 

However, the dark side to this artist's work surfaces when it turns out that the buddies romancing is just one aspect to their predicament, as implied by the title and, less obviously, by the metallic briefs they are dressed in. Separate clips show them being interrupted every time they show desire, with graphic electrical effects, body convulsions and even their bulges making responses.

 

 The 'US Water Sports Team' video (above) is one of my favourites, a little gem with lurking menace. It makes a decent stab (by AI standards) at showing a swimmer being tied up. That's a process that conventional films usually pass over entirely or else show in excruciating detail, fumbles and all. 

 

Creating an AI image or video doesn't involve actors, but the AI engine can be just as much of a diva, with ideas and boundaries of its own that can only be circumvented by patient repetition or trickery. 

 ~

For more, visit Miloinvinculis at Deviant Art

See also my posts at 'X' - Staked out and Kinky Superhero Boyfriend

plus the Sailor Punishment series here at mitchmen and 'X' 

Malex in space

I tend to think of Malex as a purveyor of teeth-gritting, snuff imagery but there's plenty of less scary fetish material from him. His Sci-Fi and Space images are particularly interesting. 

This image showing a helpless, naked captive gazing out of a space ship window where a battle seems to be in progress. It's not obvious why he is in this position, a hostage hoping for rescue perhaps. The picture makes him seem highly vulnerable, as indeed he is should a stray blast damage the air tightness of his vessel. The sense of danger is subtly erotic in quite a powerful way. 

Seeing Malex's familiar and rather austere 'black and white' technique applied in a Sci-Fi context brings out it's relationship to the style commonly used in commercial adventure and war comic books. Perhaps Malex also worked in this field.

Notice how the spaceship overhead (if that's the right expression in space) bears a striking resemblance to the Starship Enterprise. Malex often borrows from contemporary movie imagery for these pictures*

(*look out for the laser cutting scene from 'Thunderball', the half-buried Statue of Liberty from 'Planet of the Apes' and the frame whipping scene from 'Starship Troopers')

  

 This picture reworks the same visual idea but the scenario is even more obscure. (Some of these images come from the old Katharsis site so I dare say the there's a reader out there who knows the story line please let me know via 'comments'). Two space crew seem to have been turfed out of their bunks and tied up naked. Once again a (vaguely phallic) spacecraft hovers overhead seeming to pose an ominous threat which the blackness of the sky seems to accentuate. 

It seems to be the 'situation' that interests Malex most here, the two captives in this image seem fairly tokenistic representations of men, lightly built and relatively ordinary looking, you don't get a strong idea of their personalities or emotions in this situation, even their erotic state seems ambiguous. It seems that it's their nudity, vulnerability and captivity that is important.

It this image the unspoken threat is realised but not fully resolved as the captive is carted off by heavily-armed, robotic dinosaurs to face some further unknown fate. The method of transport invokes the representations of primitive natives in 20th century exploration/jungle stories, Tarzan being a regular 'customer' of the technique in that genre. The captive's suspension is reversed by Malex to make a more erotic display of him and incidentally give him a much more exacting ride to his destination. Whilst the captors here seem to be impersonal, clumsy automatons, the phallic log from which he is suspended hints at more organic tests ahead.

In this picture, the naked captive is not tethered to anything but is completely immobilised and unable to move. Tightly bound and hooded he's placed in a kneeling position that immediately suggests a sacrifice or execution. Surrounded by a bleak wilderness, his body is covered in perspiration indicative of his fearful anticipation. 

One threat to him appears to be from below, underground where a strange alien creature can be glimpsed possibly able to burst out of the ground and and consume the hapless spaceman. Materialising imaginary creatures is a risky business in terms of credibility (as the images below and tentacle art generally illustrates). The partial cropping here helps perpetuate the sense of an ill-defined menace

The starbursts in the background may be meteors, raising the possibilty that this man's fate is to endure a meteor shower out in the open and exposed while his captors hide safely underground. A sort of extra-terrestrial stoning.

 

 In this picture the castaway astronaut is being spread out and tied down in a similarly bare landscape by a fearsome-looking, horned, spider-like creature. We finally get a decent glimpse of the victim's face. He looks up in awe at a plant-like entity which looms over him with fluid dripping ominously from it's tendrils. Notice how the shadow of the plant seems to suggest a threat to the young man's neck. 

The background geology here is quite intriguing. What we initially take to be weird rock formations bear a striking resemblance to crashing waves and the more you look at it the more it looks like sea. Perhaps it's a petrified sea.

This unfortunate traveller faces a threat of a different sort, that of medical experimentation by curious humanoid aliens. In all of these images it seems these inhospitable distant planets have a perfectly breathable air for humans but not apparently for these creatures who are suited up as full blown astronauts rather than medical technicians. 

The human's face is covered by what looks like a tentacled creature inspired by the movie, 'Alien'. It's tail is wrapped round the guinea pig's neck making a none-too-subtle suggestion of suffocation or some other deeply invasive coupling. I use the word coupling deliberately, because at this point the captive seems to be quite excited by the experience. Of course that doesn't mean he is going to survive it. The unpleasant threat posed by this creature may explain the protective suiting worn by the observers and it may be that these are humans too, with a warped sense of scientific curiosity. 

It's interesting to compare the tentacled creature here to the ones that took Harry Chess and Mickey prisoner in my Ajay article (Part 3). Humour aside, these images are exploring similar ideas of being totally taken over, engulfed by a more powerful being, one not constrained by normal human rules.

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This scenario too would be worthy of a Harry Chess tale for it's sheer outlandish complexity. The image of a terrified, tied up man dangerously balanced above a pit containing a tentacled creature is fair enough. Quite why the caterpillar-like captor is using this contrived method of 'delivery' requiring considerable dexterity to set up and quite how it managed to capture and tie up the human in the first place is baffling. That said, the danger ingredients here are quite compelling. It seems unlikely that the creature in the pit is planning to tickle it's captive and the caterpillar 'feeder' is suitably powerful and repellent. It's another example of inter-species collaboration like the spider and plant above. Malex's drawing of the captive is one of his more realistic and physically attractive human creations.

At one time, these bleak landscapes were standard sci-fi territory but I think Malex's folio is unique in terms of fetish art. Modern artists, helped by the power of computers, seem to have moved on to more fantastical worlds and creatures in lusher settings more akin to earth.

Malex's spacemen all appear totally naked, ramping up the hostile threat of alien worlds and airless space. He doesn't appear to have explored the erotic power of tight-fitting spacesuits which have always interested me. I have published two astronaut pictures here 'Astronaut by Mitchell' 
and 'Space Cadet Chastised' by Mitchell

I don't think there's any decent repository for the work of Malex, 

visit my original A-Z article on Malex for search advice and more about the artist's other work.

Torture Central - 1

Torture Central is a relatively young blog with an interesting selection of S&M images and clips. The emphasis seems to be on quality rather than quantity so although the collection is not vast, most of the exhibits hit the button (for me at any rate) and there was plenty of stuff I hadn't seen before. This article is based on the modest collection of artwork featured there.

 Cavelo - Talk or your buddy gets it

I not totally complimentary about Cavelo's style in my A-Z article about him, but this image with a very handsome captive on the left (picturing them is surely Cavelo's greatest strength) and a classic 'buddies in a predicament' storyline certainly gets my thumbs up. That seat-less torture chair surely was inspired by 'Casino Royale' and brings all the associations of that story to the party, but Cavelo also makes the most of it's capacity to humiliate whoever sits on it.
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Crucifixion - Artist - Cyrano/Mahoney?

The artist of this picture is not given an attribution at the site but it looks like Mahoney or Cyrano who I believe are the same person. Cropping out the crosspiece makes a striking image that focusses attention on the man being punished rather than the mechanics of the punishment.

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Nath66 - Alien Experiment

A fantasy image featuring a human male fertilising/laying an alien egg was included in my 

A-Z article on Nath66 in 2010 but a reworked version of the idea has appeared recently showing a notable advance in technique. This is a rather nice sample (click to enlarge) borrowed from a bigger selection at Torture Central (link to Nath66 in my original article). 

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Kajlet - Durst (thirst)

There are a number of examples of Kajlet's work on the Torture Central blog, this one is rather less intense than most of them and intriguing to say the least. The military overlay is stylishly done and adds greatly to the interest of the piece.

Visit Torture Central or follow my links above for more work by these artists.
There's a master index of artists on my blog here.

 

In my next article I will review some of the photographic imagery at the blog.  

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Zelolee

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

Priapus of Milet - 3

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Decamerone 10

Statues and classical and mythological interests all coincide in this image, which is based on the famous sculpture of Laocoon and his sons being consumed by sea serpents. Personally I think the exclusion of the sons (unconvincingly muscular in the original) is an improvement. The live victim imprisoned by stone recasts the equally mythological story of the 'statue coming to life' in a highly original way (see also my A-Z entry on Sean Platter). I think it's fair to say that Priapus' melding of photography and art is not always totally successful at a technical level but there's a creative spark about these images that more than makes up for it.

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Force of Nature 01

The snake, sensuously entwined around the human body is a classical forerunner of the modern tentacle 'genre', but the famous Japanese print of a woman being ravished by an octopus, The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife (1814) is even more pertinent and often reckoned to be a milestone in erotic art. Priapus provides us with a homo-erotic version of this idea in Force of Nature 01, draping the model with the real thing. I find the idea of the warm male body being enveloped by the grey, cold, clammy octopus quite thrilling.
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Priapus draws out the erotic essence of tentacles, which is not their supposed penis-like quality, but their ability to express the overwhelming ecstasy of being touched, embraced - and indeed 'captured' - by another. The tentacles gently exploring the submissive body offered up to them seem purposeful and believable. Priapus is equally true to the anatomy of the creature by not showing it's mouth, which is located underneath the body, so we can't see what it is up to, we can only infer it from Blake's expression. I imagine that a greater familiarity with octopus anatomy increases the initial erotic impact of this image no end, but it doesn't really matter, because what we lose in explicitness is made up for by an overpowering erotic sensuality.

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Close Encounter 09

Close Encounter 09 has a more 'conventional' approach to erotic tentacles, assigning them to a technologically advanced, alien life form seemingly able to morph it's limbs into crusty-looking dildos or penis-eating long-cocks at will. But instead of employing the usual approach of bodice ripping and forcible restraint followed by ruthless forensic probing, this tentacle creature gently cradles and seduces his human subject, who shows no fear or anger but merely the normal degree of concern one would expect on encountering such a novel experience. There's no evidence of coercion, no shredded remains of clothes (or spacesuit) which lends an air of mutual exploration to this particular close encounter.

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Close Encounter 10

Close Encounter 10 takes this idea to it's logical conclusion with a truly fearsome, dragon-like alien creature descending with fire and brimstone to arouse and take his lounging man who acquiesces to this assault with calmness and even affection. Would that all men were this obliging! These images show confident insights into the nature of sexual adventure and submissive sex.

Part 4

Art by Steve Masters 2

Steve Masters - Al Fresco

 If the convict image that topped Part 1 of this article is one of Master's most memorable, this must be the most intriguing. This is the best quality copy I have of it, but it's not the most complete, a version I have assembled from two other sources (below) shows more of the composition at both the top and the bottom.

Steve Masters - Al Fresco (extended)

Looking at this expanded version, you get the feeling that there's probably even more to see in the artist's original. The fragment at the top seems chopped, but it does seem to be the uppermost floor, because it doesn't have a staircase leading further upwards.

But what does it mean? At one level, you might see it as simply a vehicle for figure studies. Most of Master's compositions have that 'posed' quality, with limited interactions between the characters. In this picture, the men interact with the architecture more than they do with each other. However, one window does show a couple who might have just had sex, is this an imagined house of boys, then? 

At the other end of the scale, you might see this as an allegory of the gay lifestyle. Bedsit boys, living mostly solitary lives and constantly looking out at more showy men who have the courage to strut the fire-escape in public view. Close by, but out of reach, and ultimately just as trapped as they are, in the gay ghetto. That subtext would have had some resonance in the early sixties, when many gay men really were trapped and the gulf between the closet and the secret, 'out' world was far more substantial than it is today.

Steve Masters - Cubicles (my title)

 If you are inclined to dismiss this interpretation, this picture might make you think again. Nine men in panels depicting toilet cubicles, and one of them is having sex if you look closely. None seem to be actually using the toilet. 

This image depicts the wide variety of men that haunted restrooms. The original was clearly coloured, as many of Master's images were. and that would have enhanced the sense of variety - in dress at least. 

It's intriguing though that the individual portraits are cropped so severely. In places, it creates the illusion that the men are having sex with each other, with an impressive daisy chain in the middle. The overlaps in the outer panels create the same effect in a different way.

Squeezing the images together does create a sense of fleeting visits and of the individuals merely registering as an impression. But there's a negative flip to that, which echoes the suggestion of isolation and loneliness in 'Al Fresco'. 

The artist Rex also played with the cubicle device later on. His images contain gay men actually interacting and having sex in their own partitions (which are closer to hotel rooms or bath house cubicles than public toilets). As individuals, they have much stronger identities. Both men are reflecting their times, of course.

 

Steve Masters - Rock Climbers (1962)

A young man is helped across a crevasse to join his companion, who strikes a godlike pose. It's a scene reminiscent of renaissance art. There's a calmness about this picture and a complete absence of innuendo, although their nudity (contrasted with residual clothing and kit) does suggest a sexual context. The shedding of all clothes means there's none of the showy display that characterises so much of Masters' work.   

 

The elements of creativity and design which dominate the previous images can be seen differently here, with a relatively simple composition embellished with what appear to be fragments of commercial marble images, such as might be seen on kitchen worktops or tiles. It creates an effect of a jagged, alien reality as the background and obstacle to the climbing. 

 

 

Steve Masters - Bacchanal

 

This image has a similar, striking design featuring realistic marbling, but it couldn't be more different to Rock Climbers. The design effects almost overwhelm the whole composition. 

 

When your eyes focus, it's dominated by an image of Bacchus with a dragon headed snake between his legs, discharging his lust from its mouth into a pool. The snake seems to be actually entering his body at the rear. An incongruous cupid rides behind him, seemingly trying to restrain the creature (or simply distract unwelcome prudes). 

 

Oblivious of them, a group of naked sailors loll drunkenly on the edge of the pool, full of a milky white substance, which probably isn't asses milk. (Shades of Stephen's 'Troopship'!). The sailors are subtly connected by hands and overlaps into a chain of shared, sexual sensuality. 

 

At the very back, another humanoid creature sits cross-legged, presiding over the activities. He's shaded in a different tone to the sailors, I suspect it's a different colour in the original image, to distinguish him from them. A disembodied head like a gargoyle hovers in front of his groin, obscuring it from view. It looks like a device added later to sanitise the image. 

 

I suppose this image simply expresses the view that gay debauchery is (reassuringly) sanctioned by the Gods, nay it's directed by them. Despite the difficult presentation of the subject, its sheer complexity is impressive. The figure of Bacchus and his snake is a homoerotic gem.

 

Steve Masters - Watching Men (my title)

This earlier piece shows the same interest in placing men into places with striking design features. The less exotic chequerboard patterns show a link to contemporary commercial art, although I can't quote chapter and verse on that. There's no attempt to construct a story line, but there's a very clever message... 

 

In the background, we see a couple of attractive, scantily-clad men engaged in healthy exercise. Another two are getting undressed for a bath (together? really?).  In the foreground, a fifth man in a jockstrap sits on a platform watching them, almost furtively. He seems a lonely, excluded figure, rather like the souls looking out of windows in 'Al Fresco' - and perhaps like the figure crossing the divide in 'Rock Climbers'.

 

 

Steve Masters - Boot Clean

Words are the striking feature of this image, with enough gay innuendos and puns to satisfy the most playful mind (soles rimmed?) These signs refer us back to the key character, who we see presenting himself - alone - and in a cubicle(!)  Not exactly trapped, though - or is he? 

 

The multiple offers of service around him are supplemented and clarified by the fact he's holding his cock in his hand. Masters has cloaked him in conventionality by draping a fashionable cardigan over his shoulders, an appealing connection for some.

 

The hint of a fairground connection can be seen in other work by this artist, in Part 3. 

 

Steve Masters -Handy Man

Words serve a very different purpose here. At first, we only see a fit, muscular man with a revealing shirt and a suitcase. We can visualise him arriving in a new place, looking for work and somewhere to live. So far, so very homoerotic. 

 

Then through the blizzard of words we see he has no right arm and no, it's not just one of Masters' design flourishes. He's a veteran, returning as a casualty of war. Immediately, those sexy innuendos and offers around him take on a bitter irony. His face acknowledges the reality of being able-bodied and yet not. He, too, is alone and isolated.

 

This is 1961, the year that American involvement and casualties in Vietnam began to escalate. With the Korean War a recent memory, Masters seems to anticipate and protest the inevitable consequences and the toll it would take on so many young men.

 

~ 

 

Part 3 of this series looks at Masters' less intense work.

 

Read Part 1 of this article