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| Body-Builder Flexing His Arm |
This picture by Matt is academic in style, but it's not a dry figure study. The man's muscles are generously rounded, an effect that's both emphasised and sensualised by his oiled skin. Although he is nude, with striking leg shaping, there's no explicit display. However, the visible sole of the far foot indicates a subtly suggestive, open stance.
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| Muscle Matt - Muscle Pumpin' Buds |
Even in serious 'fan art' mode Matt doesn't quite shed his erotic interest in his subjects.
This more realistic depiction of Tim and Billy's muscularity projects them quite differently to the cartoons, giving them more solidity and weight - in the faces as well as the body. But Matt can't bring himself to extend that realism to their pouches, which would suffer diminution if he did.
Tim's smattering of pec hair* would be frowned on in the weight-lifting world, but reflects his fictional, non-conforming and sexual character in the stories. If you look at the barbel area there's even a hint of him holding his bulky pouch.
* one of my earliest, unrequited infatuations was with a young workman on a building site who had pec hair like this, along the bottom contour of his pecs but none higher up.
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| Tim in the Bath |
There are two slightly different versions of this picture in circulation and they represent perhaps the best of Matt's attempts to share his own love affair with muscularity and youth. It's a rather memorable blend of beefcake and erotica. Showers often feature in this type of image but Matt makes out a good case for the allure of a man sitting in a bath (even if you ignore the beached whale between his legs!). He has a sort of vulnerability and receptive openness which is the opposite of the self-absorbed shower. In a drawing it's possible to flex the narrow confines of real baths, which severely limit photographic options.
The prominence of 'Tim' in these more considered pictures seems to confirm his position as Matt's favourite and you wonder if there was a real Tim somewhere in Matt's life.
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| Muscle Matt - Morning Exercise |
The case for an autobiographical element in Matt's work is strengthened by this sketch, which is a marvellous observation of the reality of male adolescence, joyous but so obsessing and distracting!
You'll notice that the character in this picture is called Matt just like the artist.
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| Muscle Matt - That Summer |
The nostalgic flavour to this image has an equally personal feel which is endearing.
By setting his multitude of body-building characters in the context of youthful, hyper-virility, Matt demonstrates how the more serious 'sport' can be seen a natural extension of the magical process of adolescence, the transformation into manhood, which is not just a sexual change, but a bodily one.
Most of us fall in love with our newly discovered sexuality, but it's understandable if other men, like Billy and his friends, also become fixated on the changes in their own physique and, in a sense, use body-building as a way to prolong that process of bodily change and it's wonderful sexual feelings.
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| Muscle Matt - Bedroom Orgy with Tim |
There's a small group of pictures featuring a character called Matt, mostly identified by the disembodied voice (his mother?) calling his name through the door while he cavorts on his bed. Unlike the first example given above, in these pictures Matt is dark haired and very much like 'Tim'.
In most of these pictures Matt depicts an exclusively heterosexual scene (sorry chaps!) and the faces of the women are shown (balancing out the observation I made in Part 2). But in just one case, reproduced above, Tim is also present, pornfully assisting Matt's endeavours (beer can in hand!). At least his upper body is present but there's no sign of him being involved lower down. You'll notice the pin-ups on the wall are predominantly women but in the other images in this group there's an equal mix of men and women.
Tim's intimately involved role here goes beyond conventional, alternating, gang-bangery. This seems to suggest the possibility Tim might be Matt's alter ego, a surrogate for gay-bi feelings, unrequited (straight) love or perhaps a recollection of a youthful confusion over sexual identity that has become a treasured memory.
In this context of confused feelings, Matt's creation of a world of innocent 'muscle lovers' can be seen as quite poignant. It reminds me of the saga of Harry Bush's luscious, young jock tempters. Who knows?
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| Matt - Summoned by the Coach |
If you think my making of a connection with Harry Bush and his demons of tempting youth is fanciful, this image may change your mind. Not just the subject of a young man casually exhibiting his sexual desirablity, but barely grasping its effect, but also the construction of this image is pure Bush, with the older admirer just out of sight, off the edge of the picture and spluttering over his uncontrollable desire.
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| MuscleMatt - Team Bud - Ryan |
With that thought in mind, this image, ostensibly of one of Billy's Team Buddies, Ryan, taking off his shirt to show off his muscles to Billy, can also be read as the image of a sexual tempter, look at his eyes!
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| Muscle Matt - Coach's Office |
This image needs no further explanation.
It's interesting that this 'Coach' image and it's companion above survive only as sketches.
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| Muscle Matt - Brad gives a sperm sample |
One of the sub-plots of Matt's epic is the story of 'Brad' who joins a 'Top Secret Army Experiment'. Naturally it leads to startling gains in musculature and, it seems, of semen production. This is a very mitchmen type of story line, I love the sense of institutional manipulation of musclehood in it.
There's an intense sexuality in much of Matt's imagery and it's expressed very directly in this picture. The nagging presence of straight porn is intellectually consistent with the Marine Corps setting but whether Matt put it in for that reason I'm not so sure!
There's an intense sexuality in much of Matt's imagery and it's expressed very directly in this picture. The nagging presence of straight porn is intellectually consistent with the Marine Corps setting but whether Matt put it in for that reason I'm not so sure!
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| Muscle Matt - Billy Centaur |
The Centaur is a more traditional, artistic expression of male sexuality and the concept of animal strength is a natural match for Matt's 'muscle-sex' subject matter. He captures a delicious, erotic under-curve at the point of transition between the species. The integration of the two physiques has the result of separating the man from his sexuality, locating it firmly in the animal half. I must admit this is an intellectual aspect of the Centaur concept that hadn't occurred to me before. Centaurs by other artists are usually based on mature, hirsute and experienced-looking men rather than a blond, aspiring young colt like Billy (I'm guessing this is Billy rather than his brother Sean, but you'd think this role would be a shoe-in for 'Tim'!)
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| Muscle Matt - Billy Vacation Swim |
To finish, two lighter images that contrast the personalities of Matt's two primary characters and continue that theme of their overflowing sexuality. Literally in Billy's case above. This sweet image brings out Billy's innocence, revelling in the sensuality of water on his naked body.
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| Muscle Matt - Tim Vacation Swim |
By contrast, for Tim, the sea is just another place to show off and cruise.
He doesn't even bother taking off his cap.
The cock jutting out of the water is a hilarious, come-on signal.
He doesn't even bother taking off his cap.
The cock jutting out of the water is a hilarious, come-on signal.
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In the forum link given below Matt's work is rightly described as up amongst the best homo-erotic art. His ingredients of youth and muscle don't have a universal appeal but his melding of them into a complex and joyful celebration of sex spanning hundreds of related images has got to be rated as a great achievement even if you don't share his fetishes. Although his images look light and superficial, a closer look reveals all sorts of interesting detail and thoughtfulness. The fact is that individually and especially in combination, they work.
There isn't a specific site for Matt but there's an impressive collection at Muscle Matt Images.
Some of the comments there from bemused, muscle fans are priceless.
According to a 2005 message in that forum, Matt's real name was Richard Kerbs and he had already passed away before this date (I seem to recall the name Krebs in another connection but can't place it). But according to Badwolf this is another different Matt again (!) Some commentators call him 'hsmuscle' but I'm sceptical of this, some images do bear this prefix but he always signed them as Matt, I think it's just an abbreviation of 'high school muscle' by someone designating the series identity.