Voluptuous

At one time ladies with fleshy figures were described as voluptuous. 

This is the male equivalent. 

Generously proportioned, softly rounded muscle tone. 

Delicious.

Pictures for The Navy Diver, Commando Collection (I'll say!)

 I haven't identified the model or photographer yet

White Shorts

White shorts in their many forms are a Mitchell favourite at mitchmen. 

Add a stripe down the side and  the effect is even better, I don't know why! It just is.
This muscular model, appears to be trapped in a wooden structure of some sort, perhaps he's searching for the hidden door. Just like an old time action hero but more suitably dressed for this blog's audience.

Shallow End

Chris Farrell

by Tom Cullis

The excitement of the Summer Olympics still smoulders on in the memory, here's more magical sporting imagery. The yellow trunks connect with my previous post but there no boyish theme here. The elaborate and artfully arranged bow in the drawstring is intriguing. Trunks like these are sadly disappearing from the competitive scene in favour of technology suits, only divers and water polo players keep the faith. However, the next installment of my Olympic Sketches series at the Yahoo! group (link in sidebar) does feature a swimmer in trunks.

Photo courtesy of Tom Cullis Photography

Growing Up

'Josh' by Catherine Opie

This young man with touselled hair and sticky-out ears (I love 'em!) trying to look fierce seems not so much a sporting warrior as the mischievous kid down the block. His natural, trim body and slender arms, undeveloped by gym work, are transformed by the footballers gear but not entirely concealed by it. 

Given that this is an art photo, the way Josh is holding the football seems pretty lowbrow but I suppose it does contribute to the idea of emerging manhood in a corny way. As another reviewer has pointed out, this boy is old enough to serve and die for his country.

Merman

Richie - Merman Dimitrio

Mermen are classic fantasy figures but don't have quite the same alluring niche as their female counterparts. A man trapped within a restrictive body shape within a watery prison seems oddly emasculated. For the artist, the detail of where the man ends and the fish begins is highly problematic, Richie opts for a low slung tail.

Golden Hair

Body hair is a bit of a vexed subject for admirers of the male form, but I guess a bit of hair at least is a prerequisite for most. Dimitri shown here courtesy of Bad Puppy has light hair over much of his body but it's golden colour allows the photographer to decide how much you see using lighting. However, that detail draws the eye into the curves of his back and shoulder muscles which is what makes this picture truly interesting.

Have a look at my main blog for different takes on body hair and back muscles.

More Flowery Briefs.

The flowery pattern is not the same as my previous post but is equally fascinating. I suppose there's an association with Hawaiian shirts, which are not noted for subtlety either.

Josiah Jennings is also known as Sean Zefran in his other life. 

Photo by Jorge Rivas reviewed at Beautiful whose prose is equally flowery.

More patterned briefs

I find this image fascinating. The flowery pattern on these briefs creates a completely different effect to the butch candy stripe in the previous post - softer almost feminine. The model's pose - like the figurehead on an old sailing ship - seems to suggest he's not sure about it either but can't interrupt what he's doing to fix it.

Studio and model not known (info welcome)

Clothing and Masculinity 2

In my last post, the choice of clothing for the model focussed attention onto the shaping of the upper body, but these colourful trunks emphasise size and draw the eyes to the glutes lower down - despite the fact that this athlete probably has an even more impressive back. The complex pattern creates an impression of bulk within, at the expense of showing shape. The thick white banding round the thighs and waist also highlight size but this time of the adjacent parts of the body.

The model's rather fragile facial features, though not lacking in masculinity, are much more delicately shaped and somehow not quite in harmony with his mighty body. This image ought to give an overwhelming impression of strength, size and dominance but instead the un-natural pose and downcast face reveal a moment of subservience and obedience - to the photographer.

Thanks to the reader who ID'd the model for me as Steve Moriaty and enabled me to track down the photographer Rick Day (via Stephen's Facebook Page).

There's a detailed article about Steven Moriarty's career at my main (adult) blog

See also comment attached which has links to more nice pix.

Masculinity

Angel Diabolo (Randy Blue)

Neither angelic nor diabolic, I suspect, but certainly 100% man. This model has worked hard on his upper body and the sweep of his muscular back is a beautiful result. The leather jeans accentuate his narrow waist and add their own dark, (diabolic?), masculine associations into the mix.

Tattoos have always been the hallmark of adventurous males and associated with seafarers in particular, but I'm generally not a fan of large ones like this. In this shot, the panther tattoo cleverly accentuates the shape of the models upper back. Similarly the tribal tattoo on the shoulder adds visual emphasis and bulk to that part of his body but I'm not convinced that it makes it's shape look any better.

Discomfort

Josey Greenwell

Another model apparently less than happy in his work. (Click on the discomfort label below for others). Maybe it's just the heat, or did the application of oil surprise him? Perhaps he's been told the next pose is a little more challenging. Whatever the case I just love that look that says 'I don't think I'm gonna like this!'.

Photography by Kevin Hubbard

Panting

Edu Boxer (identified for me by Kris - see comment below)

At mitchmen we like pictures of men who look as though they don't like what they are being asked to do. Particularly when they are going to some lengths to portray themselves as dominant males. Licking a wall must rate pretty high on the list of model's pet hates.
It's for art dear boy!