Homoeros - mob_s_revenge_02 |
Before, the tormentor's garb of vest and braces, was conventional hoodlum attire. This time the hit man's clothes are tight-fitting, casual and self-consciously sexual. It's the style of young people - which he clearly is not. Coupled with the hardness of his expression and the sledgehammer in his hand (not a usual tool for fixing nails) you sense that this is a very unpredictable and dangerous man. The splash of blood on his designer jeans is a surprisingly disturbing detail.
The setting for this group of images is a luxurious, modern patio complete with swimming pool and sea view. Whether it's the victim's pad or that of the man he double-crossed we can only guess, but it's sophistication makes the cruelty of the scene all the more shocking.
There are a number of nailing pictures in Homoeros' early work and in this interest he may be influenced by the raw images of Dante and Blake. It's no surprise where that leads.
Homoeros - 26_265_urban_crucifixion_01 |
Using a builder/carpenter as the tormentor (still in his work clothes) and his yard as the (not quite) private venue gives the scene a strange sense of distorted normality. His occupation offers a weirdly logical explanation of the unconventional wooden punishment structure. The victim has clearly been chastised with a whip or cane prior to suspension, but the sinister overtones of the first picture are completely absent. In fact the carpenter looks up wistfully at his victim now, as though awed by his own handiwork. This feels more like an S&M experiment rather than anything else.
Homoeros - Crucifixion |
There's an obvious connection with Christian imagery which Homoeros' slender physiques seem to draw out. However the essence of his depiction here is almost the reverse in terms of message.
Believers in the religious story portray the victim as the most ordinary of men, middle aged, with a scrawny body and bedraggled hair, he usually is shown meeting his (judicial) fate under ominous, threatening skies and with calm, relaxed resignation. The Christian story links crucifixion with death but it's by no means a given, that death is inevitably the outcome of this punishment (see my footnote below).
In contrast to this, Homoeros depicts a youthful, muscle god, who cannot understand why this terrible punishment has been inflicted on him. Even his outstretched arms shout out, "Why me?" Indeed his cross bears no explanatory label of his crime. He seems to have been put on display for all to see and admire - like a pinned butterfly. Even the glorious backdrop seems to trivialise the attendant pain by glorifying the spectacle, making a pretty picture of it and, in the process, mocking his self-cultivated, bodily beauty.
The captive's mute protests here are apt. Homoeros has produced many scenes like this, presented with no hint of what gave rise to the punishment. Occasionally there's the clue of a spectator below, looking vengeful or heartbroken. They exchange meaningful looks with the damned man and these images can be quite expressive.
Homoeros - sorrow_01_sunset |
The clothing and the half-timbered building in the background have a medieval feel about them, suggesting a (supposedly) more earthy, brutal era than ours, but it's not one when this form of punishment was practised. The participants themselves have a clean, modern look about them, this is another fantasy.
Homoeros - crux_02 |
This image makes me wonder if the thought process is partly to do with the oppression of 'beautiful people', especially by religions, metaphorically crucifying gay men. This inversion of the iconic Christian imagery is supremely ironic and apt. In this context the noose may symbolise depression and suicide.
Homoeros - lovers_crucfied_01 |
Homoeros - 422_rocco_g3m_12 |
Homoeros - 257d_tyler_the_blacksmiths_son_38 |
Crucifixion also features as the gruesome culmination of 3 longer stories by Homoeros, none of which can be interpreted as gay oppression scenarios (you may be glad to know). 'The Blacksmith's Son', illustrated here, sees a young man of humble origins, but impeccable physique, dallying with a woman of higher estate in a sort of Middle Ages setting. He persists despite the warnings of his father about her disapproving brothers.
They subsequently abduct him in the street and inflict a multi-faceted, painful punishment for his impudence, including the novel idea of inserting of rings in his nipples (which can be seen in the picture above) perhaps denoting his relegation to slave status. There's also some rather less than novel anal action, not fun for a straight guy of course. The Blacksmith's son is painted throughout as an innocent who believes that love conquers all and when his story arrives at this scene, the brutal finality surprises and shocks him as much as it does us.
If one thing is known for sure about crucifixion, it is that it is extremely painful and Tyler is left to learn that lesson by his torturers. The story closes intriguingly, with one brother returning that night to inspect the now-unconscious Tyler by the light of a flaming torch.
The 'model' for this story is Tyler who we previously saw banged up in prison in Part 4
They subsequently abduct him in the street and inflict a multi-faceted, painful punishment for his impudence, including the novel idea of inserting of rings in his nipples (which can be seen in the picture above) perhaps denoting his relegation to slave status. There's also some rather less than novel anal action, not fun for a straight guy of course. The Blacksmith's son is painted throughout as an innocent who believes that love conquers all and when his story arrives at this scene, the brutal finality surprises and shocks him as much as it does us.
If one thing is known for sure about crucifixion, it is that it is extremely painful and Tyler is left to learn that lesson by his torturers. The story closes intriguingly, with one brother returning that night to inspect the now-unconscious Tyler by the light of a flaming torch.
The 'model' for this story is Tyler who we previously saw banged up in prison in Part 4
Homoeros - 308 hacker 22 |
308 hacker 27 |
Finally he is transported by the truck, still danging by his wrists, to a stadium where the public can view him as the crossbeam beam is lifted into it's final place on top of an upright post. Interestingly the only spectators Homoeros shows taking advantage this grisly 'photo opportunity' are two young women. I will come back to Homoeros' use of women in a separate instalment of this series.
448_max_crucified_00b |
Max is tried by the family and condemned. The steps in his crucifixion are depicted across 15 or so pictures, with his desperate pleas and protests going unheeded by the vengeful brothers and their father. The images are bathed in a Mediterranean light producing brilliant colours which embellish the love scenes but seem strangely inappropriate as the brutal punishment takes it's course.
448_max_crucified_00k |
In this story Homoeros elaborates on his theme of the punisher with a conscience, explaining how the Max's owner (in the purple robe) is reluctant to punish him in this way because he is was expensive to buy and made a good and pleasant servant. However he cannot overlook the offence with his malevolent son insistently reading out the 'rule book' to him.
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I know not all of my readers will appreciate these images, with their controlled and ritualised brutality and violence. The 'builders yard' image above represents it as a spectacular extreme in bondage but most of the images feature more the severe restraint technique taken from religious sources. I have chosen the least bloodthirsty ones but acknowledge that they stand at the far boundaries of S&M.
I have featured crucifixion images in this blog before (click on label below to see) but Homoeros' imaginings stand out, most obviously for the shocking incongruity of the youthful, attractive subjects, the carefully chosen and often joyful colour tones and a clinically clean technique that almost sanitises the subject compared with more 'realistic', gloomy creations. However, Homoeros does not simply portray figures on a cross, he explores the whole process and the emotions of those involved in a non-religious context which is quite illuminating and draws out the theme of unstoppable, blind and extremely cruel justice. That makes them worthy of discussion here.
Footnote
There are still doubts today about how lethal the practise of crucifixion was in itself and whether the death of the victim was actually triggered by responses to prolonged physical stress or caused by other injuries inflicted on him at the same time. There is hardly any physical evidence of them taking place but there are documented accounts of incidents (in addition to that described in the Bible). Some accounts refer to crucifixion as an interim torture and humiliation on the way to execution by more direct means. Inevitably all these are less than detailed and not necessarily objective so the whole subject is shrouded in a degree of mystery and uncertainty.
Next time: Homoeros visits the St Sebastian theme
Read this series from Part 1
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Homoeros Gallery at Deviant Art is presently suspended possibly because he has recently been using it to signpost his paid-for Patreon page. Meanwhile he also has a page at Renderotica and there's a fansite at Daddy's Here with an extensive selection of his work.