Bodybuilders - Part 39

Arthur Harris

Arthur (Art) Harris (1933-2003) was a bodybuilder in the 1950s.  He won the Mr. National Capital contest in 1955.

People today are surprised that, despite his physique, he only scored 8th in the 1959 AAU Mr. America contest.  It's because racial discrimination was rampant.  The first black man to win the contest was Chris Dickerson in 1970.  This photo is by Al Urban, who appreciated Harris' physique.

A back view by Al Urban.

I got the next two photos from Vintage Muscle Men.  Thanks, Jerry!  They are also by Al Urban.  Here Harris holds a staff.

We close with him brandishing a sword.

Events - Part 87

Twister at Folsom Street Fair 2011

Each September, the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco caters to the gay leather/BDSM crowd.  Many of the fair-goers are naked.

The Steamworks gym and bathhouse hosts a public outdoor game of Twister at Folsom.  Above, some of the Steamworks employees wearing jockstraps in 2011, ready for a game.

Other fair-goers are also ready to play Twister, like this guy giving a "Folsom handshake" to his naked friend.

For those not familiar with it, Twister is a game played on a large mat of colored circles.  After spinning the wheel, the announcer calls out the next move, which will be to put a hand or foot on a particular color, e.g. "left hand on green."

After a while, the players get tangled together, which is the point of the game.

At Folsom, where the players aren't wearing much, it can result in some interesting encounters, like this one ...

and this one ...

and some guys take advantage of that.

I don't think the announcer said "left hand on dick."

But after a while, some players pay less attention to the game and more attention to each other.

Ads - Part 85

 Suistudio

Suistudio is a Dutch brand of custom-tailored clothing for women.  They had come under fire for a marketing campaign featuring nearly-nude women, so in 2017 they turned things around with a series of ads featuring nude men, called their "Not Dressing Men" campaign.

They showed male rear nudity in the ads, but concealed frontal nudity.

Note that the female model is wearing a different outfit in each photo, because that's what they're selling, though our eyes may be elsewhere.

A different female model with, I think, the same male model.

She seems to be wearing the same outfit in this photo and the previous one.

Now she is wearing a white blouse and different pants.  He continues to be free.

Hiking - Part 87

 Old River Valley, Denmark

Carsten Fischer, who lives in northern Denmark, took this hike that he identified only as "old river valley", presumably near where he lives.  Above, stripping before the hike.

He stripped down to just shoes and socks.  I think that's the old river in the background.

Setting out into the river valley.

A boardwalk somewhere along the route.

A shadow of Carsten.

This was from a different hike, but I had to include it.  Carsten getting close to nature.

Back to the old river valley hike.  Something to sit on.

That feels good.

And a shower feels good after the hike is over.

Weighing In - Part 87

Shootboxing Weigh-In

The video above shows an unashamed black fighter weighing in.  Oddly, he strips off his shorts but leaves on his socks.  None of the websites carrying this video listed the fighter's name, or even mentioned the date or place of the fight.

However, the sponsors' names in the background tell us something.  Que Sera Japon has been a corporate sponsor of shootboxing events in Japan.  Shootboxing is a combat sport combining kickboxing and wrestling.  Que Sera Japon sponsored events in 2015 and 2016 in Tokyo, which may have been when and where this weigh-in happened.

Poem of the Day - Part 87

 It's Raining, It's Pouring

Another classic nursery rhyme.

It's raining, it's pouring,

The old man is snoring.

He went to bed and bumped his head

And couldn't get up in the morning.

Artists - Part 89

Hans Canon

Hans Canon was the pseudonym used by Austrian artist Johann Baptist Strašiřipka (1829-1885), no doubt due to difficulties that people had with his Slavic name.  Above, a self-portrait, 1868.

He mostly painted portraits and historical scenes.  Above is a large work The Circle of Life in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.  There is some nudity, but it's restrained and mostly covered.

However, he did paint a few full nude paintings, and interestingly, they're all male.  Above, Seated Male Nude.

Reclining Nude, 1876.

Male Nude.  It's clearly the same model as the previous painting

We end with Study of a Male Nude.