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| Leon - Intimacy |
I don't think you could find a better example of the dark mystery of S&M than this, almost photographic image by Leon showing the strange intimacy between a Master and his Sub.
The top stares at us as though we are intruding on a private celebration of their shared obsessions - private power and private pain. Despite the distraction he continues to absently tweak his sub who flinches, pulling at his wrist restraints, but does not break away. He appears to be writhing in his Master's embrace but there's no arm encircling him, he's trapped by something more subtle.
He's probably unaware, since he's hooded, that we are watching their strange courtship. In any case that hood is amplifying his feelings of helplessness and focussing his attention wholly on what the Master is doing to him.
The earthy realism of this moment is also apparent into the characterisation of the two men. They are ordinary guys rather than muscle gods, men who lead ordinary lives when they are not sharing their innermost desires. It's all marvellously atmospheric and very erotic, despite the fact that there's no explicitness (bar the sub's bare buttocks), just two men together.
A tribute to Leon's power of observation and technical skills.
The picture titles I give here are my mostly own
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| Leon - Nipple Chewing |
There's more intimacy here, a young man nibbling another's nipples and maybe biting them too. It's a cheesy sort of exchange on the surface but the exploration of sensitivities, knowledge of each others boundaries and building of trust is the essence of real life S&M.
This appears to be an inter-generational relationship and it's tempting to view the younger man as the Sub, but it's not necessarily so. In any case, just which of these two men is being submissive here?
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| Leon - Master's Kiss |
The grip on the collar lead here gives an equally false impression of dominance and submission. If a Master wants to invade a Sub's mouth simply as a demonstration of his power, he does not need to use his tongue, he can use his fingers. Whilst the on the lead initiates this exchange, a kiss like this - with eyes closed - is a sign of mutual affection.
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| Leon - Master's Permission |
Affection between men is evident in this image too. A Sub seems to be initiating intimacy but seeking his Master's permission to proceed in a very submissive way. They might be making up after a row or getting ready for bed after a long day. The union suit gives the hairy man a sort of backwoods, earthy masculinity.
Leon often shows men smoking cigars and it usually appears to signify they are self-assured Tops, men who are in control, but again who is really in control here? He seems to avert his eyes, not looking his sub in the eye but effectively giving passive assent.
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| Leon - Boot Licking |
I opened Part 1 of this mitchmen post with a boot-licking, apprentice sub, but this man looks a real pro by comparison and really into the art form. The artist focusses our attention on his sensual enjoyment and engrossment by using a close-up of his face and not actually showing the rest of either man's body. He sensualises the face by using skin tones that seem to take Tom of Finland's mid-career, photo-realism one step further.
I suppose some might complain that working on boots that are already clean is to miss the point of this particular form of submissiveness. There's not even a trace of spit, but that gives the man's actions a sort of clean purity.
These pictures seem to simmer with intense personal involvement and passion on the part of the artist, you can detect a deep knowledge of the world of leather and love and respect for the men who practice it.
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| Leon - Booting Up in Chastity |
This image shows more observational insights into what being a leather enthusiast involves. This is a sort of locker-room moment of donning one's kit, as if in preparation for an arduous game. There's a charming vulnerability and mannish clumsiness in this mundane action. The ritualistic, core importance of boots is emphasised here, but it's not just the leather outfit but a whole persona which this man is stepping into.
In his particular case it includes a chastity cage and what appears to be a zippable leather ball bag. This doesn't necessarily mean he's a sub however, merely that access to his tackle is restricted, controlled - whether it be by himself or someone else.
Chastity devices are not common-place in erotic art, that's probably because most men are more interested in seeing what's locked up inside. Also they require fine drawing and that's not easy without resort to absurd enlargements. Leon gets round that problem by using an upwards-looking viewpoint, which just happens to be rather erotic.
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| Leon - Daddy's Slaves |
This is perhaps the more commonplace fantasy of S&M, a strong man who enslaves others at will and subjects them to punishments in his play-room. The dungeon (even in it's more clinical and dare I say, more comfortable, modern format) is at the centre of S&M porn, trapping the celebrants, but also hiding what they do and what happens to them from prying eyes.
Here there are multiple subs, so while there might be intimate moments in this set up there is no privacy nor exclusivity of attention. These captives will be trained together and this might create an interesting bond between them of shared experience at the hands of the Top. You sense however that this is less interesting to Leon than those dark and intense, one-to-one moments we saw above.
Inter-generational relationships like those shown here are fine between adults. Many men are receptive to caring elders and probably most of us have an instinct to mentor and nurture those with less experience, but for me the 'Daddy' label implies something else, introducing emotions and ideas that must depend a lot upon your personal upbringing. The diminutive expression seems to imply a child-like dependence on the part of the sub and I'm not sure I like that.
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| Leon - Crucified |
Men restrained with arms spread wide and open for punishment is a basic posture in S&M but this picture borrows the iconography of crucifixion for added drama and throws in a sinister, smoky background for good measure. There's also an interesting use of leather arm and foot sleeves which rescues this scenario from the gruesome, ancient custom of using nails to attach the man to the cross.
In fact this man is not suspended at all and is only trapped on the sedile/butt-plug by cunning ankle to groin restraints, not by his own weight. Most of the pain in this pose will emanate from the continuously bent legs. His Top will no doubt thoughtfully alleviate that by compelling him to rise and fall on the sedile (or as much as his restraints will allow).
My last two pictures (below) are copies which don't have the same quality as those above,
but the artistry is good and the subject matter is interesting.
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| Leon - Rope Harness |
This is one of those simple images I just love. The captive - lean, young and bearded - looks like an ordinary, real person, quite modern too if he had a less flamboyant moustache. Despite his muscularity he looks slightly frail, with a slightly sagging pose that suggests he is not just restrained but overwhelmed by his bondage and the predicament it implies. Leon also used body posture to great effect in the very first picture in this article where we can see that the Sub is being controlled by his Master just by the way he dips into him. It's great observation.
The shibari-style body harness shown here is an unusual design, dense and tightly wrapped below his pecs with more rope wound round his neck in an intimidating, noose-like, collar feature which is probably anchoring his wrists at the rear. There are hints of an equivalent arrangement around his tackle, just out of sight at the bottom, where the glimpse of pubic hair delivers an erotic pulse.
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| Leon - Empty Bowl |
This 'Oliver!' moment can be read as comedy or pathos according to your own leanings.
The captive is another man with a neatly trimmed beard who looks just like those you might pass on the street wearing a suit or work with in an office. It gives this picture a surreal edge that is very sexy. His nudity, the revelation of his hairy body and the economical use of chains tell us of his utter subjugation. That's reflected in his despondent face which tells us he is resigned to this situation. He understands that he is suddenly dependent on the favours of his captor for the essentials of existence. In fact existence is all he has left right now. The bowl and collar invoke the analogy with owning a dog, a potentially dangerous one, it works much better here than elaborate costuming using rubber masks or tails.
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Read
Part 1 of this mitchmen article on Leon's Art
Sorry no gallery links for Leon - info welcome.
