The hidden eroticism of Bill Mac Lane

Bill MacLane was a popular gay artist in the 50's and 60's, with his work appearing often in the fledgling gay magazines of the time, indeed it's largely via this source that his work survives for us.

Mac Lane - Bare Chested Man Reclining on a Beach

You can see he had a fair eye for beefcake,
studies like this were usually copies of photographs,
but there's an interesting element of 'aloneness' about this image.

Bill Mac Lane - Loggers

The heroic, working man in art was largely a product of early socialist thinking, Ford Maddox Brown being a notable practitioner. It was turned into a religion almost by communist Russia and perverted into hyper-masculinity by the Nazis, but the more romantic view, reflected by Mac Lane here, is ideally suited to homo-erotic imagery. In the 50's it conferred masculinity on the subject matter as well as reflecting admiration.

 (At this time Tom of Finland was also glorifying loggers and their remote, rough lifestyle of course. This iconography is less powerful in the UK which has no significant logging industry, 
the Monty Python view of lumberjacks is more usual here).
 
This image makes the point about magazines preserving Mac Lane's work. This is from 'Physique Pictorial' of course. The editorial at the bottom is a period piece in itself, these days gay artists don't feel obliged to emphasise their masculinity in quite this way.

Despite PP's reference to Mac Lane's artistic research, you can see how he uses photographic sources here. The skillful rendering of the foreground figure and background landscape contrasts dramatically with the far less accomplished secondary figures which also don't really seem to fit into the perspective properly or interact with each other (and is that dome really a logging building?). The rope-pulling one on the right distinctly looks like it too originated from a beefcake photo and is lovingly woven into the composition. The disconnect is evident and almost inevitable but still serves an atmospheric purpose in this particular picture.
 

Mac Lane - Game Over

'Game Over' shows this disconnect effect even more strikingly because Mac Lane is clearly trying to integrate this composition of a Basketball team changing after the match. But the picture is full of men who don't look at each other. Even the smiling pair at the back seem to have closed or averted their eyes. It's an unwittingly powerful portrayal of the strength of the homo-phobic paranoia of its day,
when even meeting eyes is a dead giveaway.

In this context the knowing smile of the foreground figure, towelling himself off, suggests he has secret knowledge, a situation which any gay viewer identifies with. This secret may be simply about his own proclivities or may refer to other members of the team, that's part of the mystery - are they or aren't they? However the fun of this merely masks and underlines his own separateness in this group. Mac Lane's composition technique, building backwards from a foreground 'main' figure, automatically results in that figure seeming to stand apart and underlines this sense of isolation.

Notice the stray foot to the right of the picture, which suggests this is a detail of a larger work.

Mac Lane - Sailors

 I have taken the title of this picture from the source given at the foot of this article but I very much doubt that it's Mac Lane's original. Boat sailing images invoke a sense of freedom and privacy which gays relate to but unfortunately it's also symbolic of wealth and idleness which is rather less appealing to modern tastes.

This image comes down to us from the magazine 'Butch', now defunct. The quality has suffered from primitive copying technology but luckily we do have a better version, shown below.

It's a much better, more integrated composition than Mac Lane's other work with some impressive detail like the wet surfaces in the foreground. It's also notable for the obvious expression of affection between the two young men (neutralised for suspicious straights by their averted eyes, again). However, if you look back at the magazine version you'll see this 'touching' element of the picture had been cropped out, censored, and none too skillfully either.

This may seem clumsy and excessive to modern eyes, but it's trickery, for there's another provocative ingredient you may not have spotted. Take a look at the spindle of the boat's wheel, angled at about 10 o'clock. I probably don't need to point out where it originates from (or appears to). The hand grasping the adjacent spindle at a more erect 11 o'clock  now assumes a quite different significance, as does the peculiar shaping of his friend's right hand (also cropped out by Butch).

Mac Lane is thus revealed as an extremely polished exponent of the art of 'hidden eroticism'. Presumably 'Butch' magazine felt the hand on shoulder was too much of a clue to let it go onto a front cover.
If you look back at the locker room scene now, you may now wonder what that guy in the shower is doing and notice the close proximity of a head and crotch in the middle ground. I'm wondering what might have been cropped out on the right! There's some 'naughty looking' going on in the preceding  'Logger' picture as well.
 

Mac Lane - Becalmed

The averted eyes in this image now look decidedly suspicious! Well, perhaps it's boredom or just the way the sources were posed, but look at that rope and the way he's holding it. There's a significant bulge as well if you hadn't noticed and Mac Lane has deliberately chosen to seat him erotically, astride a rail rather than neutrally on top of a flat chest or some other nautical seat.

The wistful sailor appears to be trying not to look at a scantily dressed man, who seemingly wants to be looked at, judging by the way he is standing, though not perhaps by our friend in the foreground. It's another essay on gay loneliness to my eyes and if you think I have an over-active imagination I invite you to consider the word on the life buoy at the bottom of the picture. Incidentally note the simple but convincing detailing of the ship and of the sailor hauling rope in the background.

Mac Lane - Sailors (!)

I don't have a date for this picture, but it seems to represent an notable advance from the series of frustrating, repressed images above to an open recognition of gay possibilities.

At first glance it is a fairly bland and dated ‘pin up’ picture with casually assembled figures. Mac Lane gives these sailors extra masculinity by portraying them in poses which echo body building and heroic, Greek statues. There's still a distinct physical and compositional 'disconnect' between them, but looking closer, the details bring the image to life in a quite startling way.

The left hand sailor’s expression is knowing and lustful even, and he's clearly looking at that manly back, not avoiding such sights. As gays we may surmise that it's also his shipmate's shapely bottom that has caught his eye. As well it might. This is the first picture in this article to show that part of a man's anatomy and it's laden with erotic intent. Mac Lane does not stint on the detail, the centre seam is graphically depicted, seemingly bursting under the pressure from all that flesh, which is also pulling down on the waistband above and drawing up between the buttocks underneath. This erotic display is bracketed by radiating side creases and sensual shading.

This man is clearly a sex object. But is he uninterested, distracted, simply gazing out to sea? Or is he, sensing the eyes upon him, stealing a furtive backwards, perhaps encouraging glance?  Hoping for those idly dangling arms to encircle his waist? It's a delicious ambiguity and the understated depiction of the 'hunter's' bulge scarcely seems adequate to the possibilities here, but in that much at least Mac Lane limits his ambition to the norms of his day.

This is a bold image that is suggesting not just gay relationships, but gay sexual intercourse, so blatantly that it seems anyone would have spotted it.

Mac Lane - Mail Call

As we have seen, sailors are well represented in Mac Lane's art, reflecting a fascination with that profession generally in the post-war 1950’s when young men were still being 'called up' to serve in distant parts of the world.
This is an informal visualisation of life on board a navy vessel (dated 1955) depicting bored, young men living together, enjoying a letter from home, a welcome change from the usual routine.

The uniform of the ’postman’ on the right is nicely drawn with good detail which makes me wonder if Mac Lane had 'served' himself. This sailor actually shows a discreet, little bulge too, but the depiction of most of the figures is not particularly erotic in style - apart from the foreground figure whose nudity is heightened by sweaty highlighting and barely visible underwear which is clearly not providing much modesty at the front. The eye is drawn to this hunky young man, who is well drawn as is usual for Mac Lane's foreground figures. He has put his letter aside and is clearly thinking lustful thoughts about his girl back home. It's unnoticed by his companions but we can secretly tap into his heightened sexual state.

In this early picture Mac Lane seems to have limited his hidden gay eroticism, you can find some subtle physical contact and suggestive shorts and hands but I get a sense that this is simply about the life of a sailor, perhaps biographical.


There's a good selection of Mac Lane's art at the Homoerotic Art Museum
have fun spotting the hidden eroticism!

For other examples in this blog click on the 'hidden eroticism' label below

Part of this article is a reworking of one of my posts In Praise of Sailors

The Art of Colt 2 - Sailors

Lüger - Sailor in a Basket Chair 1

 Sailors are a key element of gay iconography and this is a sexy image, but it's the sheer quality of this picture that attracts admiration. The masculine authenticity of the man's face and his languid pose transmits a sense of intense realism through a thin veneer of stylisation that is quite different to Tom of Finland's brand of 'photo-realism'. The chair itself is a design classic from a fertile era of 'new looks' and it's angular shaping complements the planes and surfaces which the artist draws our attention to in the man's face and limbs.

The 'Lüger Period' produced some memorable images at a time (1960's) when gay Art works were allowed slightly more freedom, but the phenomenon which I have tagged 'hidden eroticism' still flourished with artists and their viewers playing the game of spotting the visual innuendo. Thus Sailor in a basket chair daringly features semi-nudity, but it's 'bottom half' nudity, so not exactly devoid of erotic intent. (For my money that combination is more erotic than full nudity even though the buttocks and sexual organs are hidden). There's no-one else around in the picture which might suggest something indecent is going on, but the man is clearly flaunting his assets, even if he's posed like a matelot casually relaxing between watches.

This much would have been perfectly apparent to any censor. So too, probably, the way the chair seat curves up between the sailor's thighs in a cupping shape that is very suggestive. However I suspect they might not have realised that Lüger's cloaking foot (and what a splendid foot it is!) is as fetishistic for many men as a cock and they would express their adoration in the same way - by sucking it. It's no coincidence either that the vertical row of sailor toes is positioned exactly where an erect organ would be and it's even drawn to resemble one with fingers wrapped round it. This picture was available in the UK around 1966 (as a Dutch import) and was published alongside more explicitly nude images that still had to be censored.

The world has changed but similar publishing restraints still prevail today in social media and lead to equally ingenious attempts to get round them and push boundaries (have a look at Colt Studios Instagram account and you'll see what I mean). At least today, being caught out merely leads to banishment from the media platform and not prison or confiscation of the offending artwork, as was the case in olden days.

Jim French - Sailor in a Basket Chair (Reference Photo)

 Lüger drew a number of pictures featuring sailors sitting in this chair. I know of at least 6 different images and this reference photograph doesn't match any of them exactly, so I imagine there could be more. The fact that the model's G-string is transparent here also suggests that there were some much more explicit variants too, presumably available to selected patrons under blank covers. This photograph also gives us an idea of just how the much the artist enhanced his model's appearance in the final picture,
elevating it into the realms of sensuality

Lüger - Sailor in a Basket Chair 2

This image on the same theme is closely related to the photo above and although this older man's assets are enclosed by white underwear it's scarcely less sexy. I suspect the erotic detailing of his 'bulge' has been subtly censored with a flat white overlay (to the right) but that intervention has perversely created an oddly-shaped, but more impressive bulkiness. The equally erotic region underneath has escaped this attention, allowing a glimpse of buttock cleavage and a ball-sack shaping and enclosure that could not have been created naturally by the underwear of it's day. The mature appearance of this man and his totally immodest pose, struck while dressed in a sailor's uniform, challenges conventions too and is quite shocking in it's own way. No need for hidden eroticism here! Notice that once again the feet get star treatment.

Lüger - Three Sailors Off Duty

 This remarkable image is a fore-runner of the '3 men' tableaux for which Colt is well known. The foreground sailor has a splendid rear which the artist has showcased by cropping his top, a device that almost goes unnoticed by the viewer at first. This idea is borrowed from surfer/beach boy fashions and the sailor's youthful credentials are further enhanced by the jaunty tilt of his cap, allowing a sexy lock of curled blond hair to escape. The cigarette in his hand suggests an attempt to assert his masculinity which is quite charming. The sock dangling from his hand signals that he is in the process of undressing, but it's shaping is a none-too-subtle reference to a dangling cock.

The interest of the reclining sailors in him is undisguised too, the older man on the left being a particularly striking, self-consciously manly image. The sense of cross-generational lust in his face is quite unsettling (but it's all refreshingly legal!). The third sailor has a more youthful appearance but his sly, knowing, (dare I say 'queenly'?) smile seems to speak of equally profound experience and desire. It's like they are both weighing up the new recruit and suddenly his neatly-pressed, but vandalised uniform and the soft dangling sock reduce him to a naive, awkward appearance under their gaze. It creates the sense that they intend to induct him into the self-contained and isolated world of warships at sea and mentor him in the darker mysteries of naval discipline and order.

This sort of naval scene is echoed in the work of other contemporary artists of the 60's, like Tom of Finland, Art Bob and Spartacus. This interest seems to reflect a nostalgia for the wartime years of shared struggle and a belief in homoerotic comradeship existing in the safely private, all-male environment of ships.  

Lüger - Sailors Scrubbing the Deck

This image has similar cross-generational mentorship vibes to the last one but darker in nature. It's a rather more risqué age pairing too, saved - in the modern era at least - by reference to call-up ages. The young sailor, reduced to scrubbing the deck in his boyish underwear is clearly being humiliated
and dominated, we may surmise, by the old tar behind him.

The juxtaposition of head and crotch is so artfully innocent here as to present a real conundrum for would-be censor, but the knowing eye sees a young man's cock-worship interrupted by our arrival.
(are we supposed to think here of the old song 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles?).

The older man's 'spyglass' pose of course alludes to even more intimate matters in the pipeline, so to speak. Coupled with his overtly sexual pose, it's a none-too-subtle hint that this boy is about to loose that virginal innocence and cleanliness so cleverly encapsulated in his appearance by the artist.
Notice though that the artist gives us the tiniest glimpse of the older man's underwear as a reassurance that it's all quite decent really.

Lüger - Drunken Sailors

Another traditional song reference here and a more traditional view of Sailordom laced with homoerotic fantasy that gives an unequivocal answer to the question in the song title.
You could just grab the yummy guy on the ground and run off with him couldn't you?


In a way, this marks a transition from the Lüger brand of muscular, erotic assertiveness to the beautiful figure drawing and cheerful sexual celebration which was to be more characteristic of the Colt era. Strictly speaking the changes in Jim French's 'name labels' (Arion - Lüger - Colt) were driven by his commercial projects (see bio here), but they also reflect the changing moods of the 60's as gays (as a group) gradually came out of the closet. This image reflects rather nicely the heady intoxication of that initial liberation, although, paradoxically, Sailors and other members of the military were not allowed to be included in it. It was really just the start of a journey not the end. A journey still unfinished.

For me, these Sailor images are amongst Colt's finest work 

and as good an example of Homoerotic Art as you could wish to find

 (and I use the capitals deliberately).

Continued in Part 3 - The Cowboys
Read from Colt Part 1

I haven't found a legitimate source of Colt's artwork, Colt Studio don't seem to publish it now.

There's a decent Colt Collection at Daddy's here

An interesting biography/obit written by Bob Mizer in 2017

For other explorations of the art of hidden eroticism, click on the label below.

Art by Holzman

Holzman - Merchant Navy 1

This Hussar advert in Fizeek magazine in 1963 introduced a new artist to the gay scene, Holzman, with a 'playlet' about a nautical thief. The illustration shown is one of the opening images of the series showing the 'toughie' arriving with his kit bag. You can tell he's tough because he's got a torso-revealing, open jacket (leather?) and a cigarette drooping from his mouth. You sense he's a man with attitude although the cant of his head here is what smokers do to keep their cigarette smoke out of their own eyes. In that respect this is a neat little piece of observation by Holzman, documenting a practice that's gradually dying out. The tough is thoughtfully examining something that he's found, his seaman's papers perhaps although I suspect it's a bottle  (see below). 

I don't have all 16 images in this story or any information about their sequence and have therefore  simply numbered them in what seems to be the logical sequence

Holzman - Merchant Navy 2

The new boy climbs on board with a long, butt enhancing stride and a determined look on his face. 

The texturing of his jacket and jeans suggests they might be leather, which in the 60's was thought of as the uniform of wild bikers. However, the presence of turn-ups and the styling of the jacket with visible seams is more suggestive of denim, a more suitable material for working on a boat.

Holzman - Merchant Navy 3

Below decks, the toughie examines a bottle of alcohol which has a label promising serious gut rot. It's enough to make him drop his cigarette, which apart from being a breach of good manners, is liable to start a fire on a boat, a danger to life and limb. 

Despite these shortcomings in character we are learning about, he's portrayed as a sexy beast. The 'Latin look' was quite common iconography at the time and very exotic to UK eyes. The exaggerated fleshy lips and dark-rimmed eyes seem to be borrowed from female notions of sexual allure (unfortunately for the image of gay men). A distinctive vocabulary for the male equivalent had yet to be developed (and probably wouldn't have been accepted by society at large anyway).

The straw-clad carafe of wine in the cupboard behind him is a nostalgic image from a less sophisticated era in the UK. You might also recognise the 'Heinz 57 Varieties' label on the tin on the bar, amazingly it hasn't dated in 60 years and I suppose the same is true of his fashion wear.

Holzman - Merchant Navy 4

In this image it seems that the new crewman has removed various articles to his cabin and is about to hide them in his kit bag, furtively concealing his actions from a member of the crew working on the deck just outside. It must be a hot day because everyone seems to be undressing. The enticing glimpse of flesh through the porthole is the calf of a crewman walking towards the left of the picture. 

You could be forgiven for thinking here that the thievery entailed drinking the liquor and then topping up the bottle to hide the theft. However I can imagine this clever 'hidden eroticism' probably escaped the attentions of the censor and deservedly so, because it's very nicely drawn, a neglected classic. 

The villain has become more Anglo-Saxon-looking in this image, but I think it is the same character. judging mainly by the turn-ups (image 2) and the presence of the two tins. The Latin look does return later but only in one special example.

The smoky effect at the left, by the way, is not the result of his dropped cigarette but a scanning effect. It has fortuitously added a nice texture of dappled light to an otherwise 'flat' image.

Holzman - Merchant Navy 5

The villain's activities are disturbed by the arrival of a 3rd crewman (also apparently wearing a leather jacket). He too starts to undress, whistling as though routinely changing into his work clothes, which judging by the porthole vision in the previous picture might consist of very few clothes indeed. The thief is horrified, presumably imagining he's about to be exposed - as a thief, according to the story line, or, in the more subversive sub-text, as a man who has problems with naked male flesh. 

Holzman's picture here copies classic, film noir imagery, with the unsuspecting innocent making himself ever more vulnerable to a hidden threat of which he's unaware. The hidden eroticism in this image surrounds the ambiguous interpretation of the bottle, angled just right to suggest the villain is getting other ideas about dealing with this new arrival. The coat hook just above his head provides a more graphic hint of what he might have in mind with the backing plate suggesting a tight fit. 

Holzman - Merchant Navy 6

The crisis seems to be precipitated by the arrival of a third man. He appears to be the skipper of the vessel, previously glimpsed through the porthole in picture 3 and now revealed to be dressed only in a cap, skimpy slip and sea boots (the last a worrying link to the contents of the bottle!). At this point the undressing crewman has lowered his underpants. In fact they are nowhere to be seen, presumably lost in the folds of his jeans, unless they're ripped to pieces on the floor.  

The villain's reaction seems a bit over the top. In the story plotline he seems to think that his exposure as a thief is imminent and so goes into self-defence mode, smashing the bottle to use as a weapon 

(or it could be that he's suddenly revolted by the thought of sampling it's contents!) 

Alternatively, in the delicious ambiguity that pervades this story, the young skipper's sexy appearance here offers an explanation of the actions of the villain back in picture 3. His panicky reaction now is triggered by the rapidly accumulating male nudity and the sudden prospect that he might be about to witness something unspeakable going on between these two men, whom, we should remember, didn't know he was there until he announced himself by smashing the bottle.

There used to be a accepted legal principle of 'homosexual panic', i.e. a fear of being in imminent danger of being raped by a homosexual. This was advanced as a legitimate excuse for assaulting gay men and even killing them. In some cases the reaction hid the fear of having his own, secret, homosexual leanings exposed. This concept perversely confers a power on gay men over straights that is erotically appealing, if entirely fanciful.

 Holzman's rendering of the hunky skipper is masterly but some severe cropping seems has gone on, spoiling the depiction of his crewmate. The villain's aggressive act has been converted into a disembodied eerie 'manifestation'. This may have been intentional, to amplify the sense of panic and the shock to the sailors. It might even allude to an explosion of a different kind. However, it was also common practice in this period to publish incomplete images in order to encourage viewers to buy the full artwork.

Holzman - Merchant Navy 7

Somewhat surprisingly, the villain chooses to confront the defenceless, nearly naked seaman with the bottle rather than the Captain. It's him (or his nudity) that he finds most threatening, or it could be that this crewman has challenged him or is attempting to calm him*. Interestingly, his jeans have now dropped round his ankles and the villain is suddenly sporting a recognisable manifestation of excitement in his jeans rather than the generalised bulge seen occasionally in the preceding pictures. 

*Perhaps Holzman simply thought it made a better picture. Whatever the case it's a great image using a challenging viewpoint. The quality of these pictures in both technical and dramatic terms is certainly on a par with the emerging stars of this era - Tom of Finland and Etienne.

Holzman - Merchant Navy 8

The captain intervenes with a mighty upper cut. By this time, his half-undressed crewmate is down on the floor, on his knees (and with bare ass raised in a classic, passive pose). The broken bottle is nowhere to be seen, suggesting that he managed to disarm the villain before he could do any damage with it.

Holzman has included the coat hook (from picture 4) in this image, positioning it a short distance from the villain's half-open mouth. It sort of matches the sweep of the Captain's fist and suggests there's an erotic consequence in store for him, but is slightly off-piste in the circumstances.

I don't have a satisfactory copy of this picture but it's too important to leave out. 

The cartoonised version below gives a neater sense of how the original might have looked.

Holzman - Merchant Navy 8 (AI variant)

This more balanced variant gives a better sense of the drama of the moment. It also brings out the nudity of the fallen sailor, almost seeming to suggest that the other men are fighting over him (hence, I suppose, the presence of the phallic coat hook, which, in a bizarre AI tweak, is suddenly dripping!). 

However, we can also see more clearly that the fallen sailor's arm is entwined with the villain's foot, confirming his active role in overpowering him. 

Holzman - Merchant Navy 9

The thief is down but not yet out as the crewmates pile onto him. The captain's hands are clasped tightly together round the villain's neck and he is struggling manfully to detach them. The second crew member, having disentangled himself completely from his jeans and underpants, has grabbed the villain's free arm and is pulling it into his uncovered crotch, where it can't cause any mischief but feels nice. 

Ominously for the villain, his flies have come undone and his Y-fronts are pushing up through the gap and being nuzzled by the skipper's shin (entirely accidentally, I dare say). His choice of underwear makes the bulge in picture 6 improbable, although the picture below shows they are not a very tight fit, so maybe it was an escaper.

Holzman - Merchant Navy 10

The sailors turn the villain upside down, perhaps hoping to see what will fall out of his pockets, which is the traditional way of exposing a thief in kids' comics. It has the effect here of pulling his jeans off anyway, which will enable them to conduct a more thorough search (or something like that). Losing his pants also makes it a tad more difficult for him to run off, but I suspect that being undressed by these men is only going to intensify that instinct.

You may think you've seen this picture before and you'd be right if you're a regular visitor to this blog, because exactly the same picture appears in my article on the Art of Cas. The same that is, except that it is signed there by Cas. Cas and Holzman are the same person.

Another Cas-Holzman picture can be seen at the mitchmen Royale Studio blog in the 'Timeline' post section 63.1. It's in an ad, emblazoned with the Cas logo, but a contact address has been positioned on top of the original Holzman signature. The background to this name changing is a mystery. Perhaps something to do with publisher's exclusivity.

Holzman - Merchant Navy 11

Finally the villain seems to have collapsed, or at any rate he has stopped resisting. The crewmen lift him bodily almost as if intending to pitch him overboard. Their bulging trunks symbolically almost touch in a sort of low five (or three) you might call it . Apparently the stripper has managed to put his underpants back on. The enhancement and clarification of this image has brought the villain's underpants into stark relief, stretched tight round his buttocks and deep between them. 

The clues to what is actually about to happen to him can be seen behind them.  

This picture and 13 below have both been retrieved from small thumbnails in Hussar ads, hence the inferior, fuzzy quality. They suffice to allow us to understand what is going on, however. 

If any reader can supply better versions, please get in touch!

Holzman - Merchant Navy 12

The sailors hold the would-be thief down over a barrel, which can be seen standing against the wall in the previous picture. The captain takes the lead in punishing him, flogging him with a knotted rope. His crewmate sits on the villain's head to hold him down (with his balls resting on his shoulders where they can monitor the villain's movements as he reacts to the thrashing). His pose here, with the characteristic turning of the head is reminiscent of Spartacus.

The skipper's fleshy physique does not disappoint in this picture but his face has now transformed rather unpleasantly into an appearance similar to that of the villain when he arrives at the boat. This seems to be a look chosen by Cas to represent nastiness and it's been gradually developing in the Captain in the preceding pictures, like something out of Dorian Gray. 

Cas seems to be playing with a very dubious stereotype of foreignness here and unnecessarily so since it would perfectly OK for the cute, hunky, young man in picture 6 to maintain order on his own boat without turning into a demon. I suppose there's a certain satisfaction in the villain being 'out-nastied', having underestimated his intended victims. The crewmate steps up for his own crack of the whip next.

Holzman - Merchant Navy 13

The villain must have struggled energetically during the Captain's assault because the two sailors have now tied him down over the barrel with his arms and legs spread wide. The sailor who was earlier threatened with the broken bottle stands astride him with the miscreant's head between his legs. He pulls it up by the hair so it's snugly wedged in his crotch, almost face upwards here so it gets the fullest experience. He proceeds to flog him himself with the knotted rope, no doubt enjoying the villain's struggling movements between his thighs which seem to be dislodging his already skimpy trunks.

The skipper watches them, flexing his muscles triumphantly. He even seems to be rubbing his packet with his left hand, but that may be wishful thinking on my part!

Holzman - Merchant Navy 14

In this final image, again recovered from an advert thumbnail, the punishment seems to finished. The scene has shifted to a bedroom with a washbasin in the corner and the chastised villain meekly seeks the comfort of a cushion to sit on, on the bed. He's now without any underpants at all and there's a faint suggestion of criss-cross weals on his buttocks. It's possible that a bare-ass final spanking was the subject of one of the two missing images.

His two adversaries stand, lording it over him, with undisguised enlargements on their pants. One of them is resting his arm on a long pole which faintly suggests the punishment may even have reached into internal regions in some shape or form. The Captain, restored to normal handsomeness, breaks out the liquor that seems to have been the root cause of the problem. The villain hasn't got much to celebrate but it doesn't look like he's free to go just yet . You sense the affair is not yet over.

~

These images were obtained from the internet and some from TimInVermont

and enhanced by mitchmen where my logo has been added.  

 

more about artists featured by Royale and Hussar

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Letter 'T'

The Letter 'T' in my survey of fetish artists presents us with two long lasting giants of the genre - Tom of Finland of course, plus Tagame. Then there is Teddy, a shooting star who flared briefly and then disappeared. The truly British character of Tam's work has special appeal to me and introduces a fetish that I don't think I have covered before - punching and fighting. 

The 'others' category includes the notable veteran artist, Titus.

For starters I offer an image exploring the idea of masculine power associated with cowboys.

Tim Marcus - Cowboys

This casually-drawn ink and water-colour drawing image is a very nice, mildly erotic image at first sight. But it's a curious mixture of overt and hidden eroticism, blending the allowable and the taboo in a way that probably dates it fairly precisely for anyone who has a detailed grasp of social mores in the second half of the 20th century. The combination of rear-view nudity with partial, non-classical clothing was an early breakthrough in erotic art, allowing significant sexual flavouring to be added to conventional 'greek statue' nudity. It's amusing that our heterosexual law-makers considered backsides less indecent than cocks at this point, but the lowered jeans shown here would be recognised as much more suggestive than a totally trouserless man. The glimpse of scrotum (a la Luger) takes us into the late 60's at least. The distinctive border suggests to me the magazines of the 70's and 80's.

However, it's the fetish elements of this picture that are most fascinating. The dangling belt and bare bottom unmistakeably signals an intention to spank. That was OK back then. Spanking was a normal part of growing up and it's application to grown men was considered to be no more than a peccadillo, just not to be spoken of. 

Contrast this with the bondage element of the picture. It's not explicitly shown at all, but we all associate cowboys with ropes and lassos, and for those who recognise it, the arms-behind-back pose of the right hand cowboy and the bindings round the post on the opposite side of the picture tell all. 

In fact these two innocuous posts tell a very explicit story indeed if you take the trouble to read the code. Their upright rigidity and close proximity speaks for itself. These cowboys are very excited! One post is bound with rope and the other not. That's easy, but did you notice that the bound one is significantly longer - and that the other cowboy is 'leaning' on it? We now know who is going to do what to whom. I confess I'm not sure of the full significance of the dangerous-looking projecting thorn but it's gonna hurt! (Perhaps it already has done and spanking is the result)

Finally consider the odd little cactus plant, which at the base bears a striking resemblance to a scrotum, an impression enhanced by the absence of spikes. A susceptible viewer might also perceive a curving penis disappearing beneath two other plums, note how the delineating thick shadow creates a sense of perspective. The plant itself is strategically positioned directly between the cowboy's legs - manipulation of 3-dimensional distance is a valuable disguising technique in these illicit images and it creates the visual equivalent of a double-entendre, suggesting both the simple joke of sitting on a cactus and something rather more naughty!

Brokeback Mountain was never like this (unfortunately!)

As hidden eroticism goes this is something of a tour-de-force (click on the label below for other examples). I have another image by this artist but it's just an adaptation of one of Lederman's famous 'cowboy in jockstrap images' (another dating clue). That's all I know about him, but he deserves to be rescued from obscurity by this image.

(Information from readers welcome as always).

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

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Spartacus

Spartacus - Ball Game

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

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

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

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

 Spartacus - On A Training Ship

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

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

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

Spartacus - Shower series

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

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

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

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

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Vintage Spanking Art

I found these images while sorting through some files over the holiday break. They all seem to have an extra 'something' that lifts them out of the run of the mill. 

I don't know who the artists are.

 

No1 - Caned Against The Wall

 

A big boy takes his punishment, hands to the wall. His pert little ass and unkempt hair suggests there's a naive, normal, young man underneath all that muscularity. The floppy hair and oversized hands put me in mind of Adam's work but my readers may know better! The spiky, black shadow behind him creates the impression of severe punishment, of his body pushed up against the wall by repeated blows from behind.

No 2 - Caned in the Bedroom

 This scene is more frank about the sexual pleasure of spanking. There's a sailor in this group (see chair), I'm guessing it's the man with the devotional tattoo who is introducing these young men to the pleasure of pain before sex. Particularly his pleasure, as you can see! It's underlined by his anticipatory forward thrust.

Paradoxically the mixture of S&M, religion, race and disparate ages in this picture probably make it no less startling today than the homosexual angle did when it was drawn.

The hair styles and pose of the boy on the bed look typical of the 50's and the latin looking sailor is very Quaintance-like although I never saw anything else like this from him, it's amazingly explicit for that time. Any suggestions?

No 3 - Caning a Man over a Stool

This example is not as stylish as my other choices and there's some wierd perspectives and positioning (notice the hand appearing to rest on a level surface far right). Still, it's nice to see a spanking picture with all real men. This one has shot his load during a hard caning, reversing the sexual polarity from the previous picture where it's the spanker who seems most excited about it all. The spanker here shows nothing more than a plain bulge, which is coy enough to make me wonder if the cock on the stool was added by a mischievous modifier. Of course it's misalignment and curious shaping may be an attempt at hidden eroticism by the artist, I'd have thought the white, dripping ooze is a bit of a giveaway though! 

The moustaches and body suggest this was drawn in the 80's but who by?

 

No 4 - Belted on the Floor

An intimidating belt-cum-paddle is the implement of choice for this spanking punishment. No wonder the recipient looks so dismayed and is struggling so hard to escape! It's the energy of the struggle and forceful domination that makes this picture so striking. 

By allowing the victim's legs the freedom to flail around the artist has chosen to forgo the erotic possibilities of a totally undefended ass in favour of the joys of an unequal battle. Because of this the visual sensuality is subtle - the shading of the victim's pecs and the ambiguous, intriguing scribble in the area of his abdomen is surprisingly effective. Also the spanker's close fitting, traditional underwear which moulds to his pecs while the 'key hole' seams in his underpants form a collar around the mound of his growing excitement. This almost qualifies as 'hidden eroticism' but is perhaps more accurately described as 'disguised' 

The figure on the ground could almost be by Adam, but the cleft chin and cheek lines of the spanker remind me of 60's artists like Losarro.

No 5 - Tied and Horsewhipped

Sensuality is definitely the name of the game here as a casually wielded riding crop cuts deep into the buttock of a young man under restraint, tied and blindfolded. His head jerks back as the pain of the lash registers through his nervous system. The lushly shaded, smooth, rounded contours of his body together with the length of his hair are indicators of youthful inexperience. He is recieving this little lesson at the hands of a woman (probably!) who, judging by the scary nails, has much to teach him! (I'm not a fan of female involvement in sexual matters but I confess I do enjoy the idea of straight men being chastised for their transgressions by the so-called weaker sex).

The style of this artist reminds me very much of Toby but again, I'm not sure.

 

No 6. - Chained and Belted

This extraordinary picture explores the very darkest regions of spanking fetish and asks some awkward questions about what sparks the interest in it. We can conjecture that this is the pick-up that went awry, the curious explorer taken beyond his boundaries or perhaps the experienced top subjected to an unpleasant role reversal.

Suspended in ankle chains with hands tied together round one leg, the subject is entirely helpless. His ass (and backs of his thighs) are completely unprotected from the ferocious assault that is in progress. The wild-eyed rage of his attacker, seemingly out of control, is terrifying and with his head lodged in the spanker's groin he also has a close-up view of his captor's intimidating arousal. It's a nettle that he seems none to anxious to grasp (even if his hands were free to do so!). His suspension position advertises another attractive destination for it and if that is not what he expected or had planned when he met this man, he is neverthless clearly seriously excited by the predicament, the pain and the fear. It's a redeeming detail that allows us to imagine that he will look back upon this encounter as a memorable experience - if not one he wants to repeat in a hurry.

The style of this picture is unfamiliar to me but I think I have seen the the wings on the boot tops before which (if I can find it again) may identify the era if not the artist. This is an original on a folded up piece of paper and so may be an unpublished piece or the work of an amateur but it's technically accomplished and convincing. Details like the spanker's expression and his menacing shadow on the wall convey a darkness of intent to us that is not visible to the victim.

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Please leave a comment if you have any information about the origins of these pictures

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Stevens (William)

Stevens - Jail Belting

 

In stark contrast to Steven's lollipops, the work of William Stevens shows SM scenes with powerful action and emotions. See here the concentration of the prison guard as he lashes a chained-up prisoner with his belt. Despite the static, restraint position, there's a sense of energy in the guard's exertions. Amusingly, he's standing on the prisoner's foot which shows true sadism, although this indulgence surely must impair his swing! The detailing of the face and the back of the hands, in this and the picture below, show an observant eye.

Stevens - Jail Assault

 

In this picture, the fear in the eyes of the prisoner is portrayed so convincingly, that I suspect it might take the subject beyond the realms of entertaining erotica for some fans. This image is beautifully composed with the guards crowding in around their naked victim, forcing him to show his backside - sensuously rounded buttocks and a tantalising glimpse of undercarriage. You can sense the guard's cigarette quivering between his lips as he savours the sight! Note the mysterious shape projecting from the his groin area and looking suspiciously like a disguised cock. A case of hidden eroticism that scarcely seems warranted, in what is already a fairly unambiguous subject. Must be British!

In fact, I don't have any information at all about this artist and would welcome any advice from my readers about him.

For other examples of 'hidden eroticism' click on the label below

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