A reader of this Blog told me he enjoyed the recent Cartoon version of my “What You’re Searching For” series. This inspired him to share some pro wrestling artwork from his own collection, seen here.
I am wondering if anyone knows the artist who created these wrasslin’ images so I can credit the source and provide a link to more such photos if available. (To whomever created these fantastic drawings — if you’re reading this, I hope you’re not angry that your images have been posted here and that I added captions to them. Shoot me an e-mail…)
The first thing that caught my eye about these works of art was the classic wrasslin’ vibe (That Old-School imagery can really make me swoon). The masks, the beards, the hairy bodies make me think that the artist must be about 45 years old or more — or else he really has found a passion for the Golden Age of wrasslin’.
The temptation when drawing pro wrestling comics is to draw perfect, beautiful specimens — the angelic, smooth, ripped Hotties in every match. Every image features a Greek God entangled with a Superhero (with an underwear model as the referee.) But in my opinion, perfection can actually get boring…
This artist wasn’t tempted into creating a series of physically beautiful subjects. Instead, his wrestlers are beefy, hairy, ugly, almost animalistic. They’re sexy without being pretty. THIS is what a fuckin’ Heel should look like!
(Awww, DAMN — just look at that savage double-teaming! This artist really understands and delivers the eroticism of injustice and power imbalances in pro wrestling.)
The artist also throws proportion out the window and super-sizes the interesting body parts (while under-sizing their clothing…) The Baby-Face is normal size or even a bit scrawny in the legs. The Heels are massive, hairy gorillas, their arms bigger around than their victim’s entire torso.
If you have the freedom to create your own universe, you might as well push the limits and exaggerate. The best art is not necessarily the most realistic art.
Another temptation when drawing art — including wrestling art — is to present the universe as a clean, sterile, antiseptic place. But this artist prefers to show us the seedier, lustier aspects of reality.
His wrestlers positively drool all over each other, perspiration flows like a river, and their body-sweat and other fluids splash around and cover one another like Green Slime. Their tongues stick out — probing and dangerous.
If the typical pro wrestling artwork is like a fancy dinner at a nice restaurant while wearing your Sunday Best, this artist depicts a drunken one-night stand at a seedy hotel along the highway at about 2:30 A.M. on a Friday night.
The images of humiliation are intense, either implicitly or explicitly depicting sexual assault in the ring. The artist captures the hidden message — the tease — behind any pro wrestling performance: that they’re just inches away from fucking and, at any moment, one or both wrestlers may whip it out and start really going at it. THAT is the tension that keeps wrestling fans coming back for more.
These images may offend you, or turn you on (or both, if that’s possible). Either way, the drawings produce a visceral reaction, which is what great art — and great pro wrestling — is supposed to do. So I just want to thank the artist from Parts Unknown, and my e-mail buddy (who sends me the most exquisite wrestling images) for sharing these works of art for our viewing pleasure.
he he wrestlers forced to kiss ……. the ultimate humiliation 🙂
Here’s a link to his page: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/balmos/
He has a lot of other drawings that sadly he deleted. Let’s hope he keeps it up, his stuff’s awesome!
That guy’s artwork is exceptional! He has a really great style (wonder what his technique is?) Thanks for sharing the art. Great post!!!