Saj – “I know you want this”
The art of Saj has a computer ingredient, but it looks sufficiently hand drawn and interesting for me to include in my survey. This first image has the sort of dramatic angle associated with comic book art and showcases the handcuffing of the prisoner to perfection. The depiction of the manic FBI agent chimes in with the crazy perspectives of the room, but his words (the title of the piece and the eternal wishful thinking of all gay porn) are a bit of a let down in a fetish context, when one expects something a bit more assertive!
Saj - Bathroom
However, Saj does not shy away from hardness and aggression as this piece shows. Once again there's a slightly crazy feel about it as the victim reaches out towards us (or the shards of glass?), much to the bemusement of his attacker, whose elfin-like face seems redolent of unexpected and incomprehensible malice. The drawing style is economical but extremely effective in creating an atmospheric setting.
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Saj – Blue Goo #10
I am amazed by the avalanche of 'Tentacle Art' on the Internet. I understand the erotic appeal of the subject, but there's an amazing amount of repetition and few pieces press my buttons. This gloopy variant by Saj has the usual open-legged, victim pose, but the substitution of disconnected blobs of blue 'goo' for tentacles is a nice touch. The attack developing on the foreground character is for me the most exciting part of the image. In this picture you can see that Saj's depiction of the naked body is rather flat and less convincing than his representation of clothing. For him it seems the sensuality is all in the action.
This picture is one of a series and I should perhaps explain that the blue goo was unleashed by the foreground character to 'condition' his captive, as shown, but things got out of hand! The syringe was supposed to 'hoover up' the renegade goo, returning the genie to his bottle, as it were.
Saj – Dreams Of The Human Torch
This fiery fantasy transforms an ordinary image into the extraordinary. You can regard this as a simple metaphor for the allure of fiery passion, but some of my readers may enjoy a more literal reading. Either way, it's interesting that this 'dreamer' does not share the fire/passion himself (except for a very focused 'fiery jack' penetration) and he is clearly not consumed by it. Nor is there a great sense that he is at all endangered by it. An interesting viewpoint.
Fire, like water, is a great technical challenge to the artist and this is an interesting solution, the colour plays a crucial role of course, but the artist is drawing on another fiery 'memory' association with the horizontal striping effect on the 'Torch's' body. It reminds me of the way logs burn in the grate. I will be comparing this image to another artist's work later on.
Saj – Tool Shed
If danger was absent in the 'Torch' picture you get it in spades in the 'Tool Shed'. The attacker seems impassive, implacable and emotionally uninvolved, partly because you can't see his eyes. There's a sense of cold and calculating, remorseless hate being unleashed and yet the whole scene is really uncontrolled, a classic 'hero in peril' struggle. The whizzing saw blade and sharp, shiny tools bedecking the walls make this place more frightening than any S&M dungeon! You can see the influence of modern Japanese comic art quite clearly in the stylised faces and that takes some of the edge off the horror, but there's some deep emotions behind this picture.
Saj's pictures explore fetishism more profoundly than most, revealing a challenging intellect and posing interesting questions to viewers who pause to ponder what they see and like. Some of his pictures contain explicit violence which is not my cup of tea and not appropriate for this public blog. I haven't been able to track down a site for Saj but I welcome information from readers.
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