The art of NoBeast

Jun 16, 2007

It’s not every day you get to post graphic demon porn but this is such a day so consider yourself duly warned about the content. I’ve no idea who NoBeast is since no one seems to know. Given what’s being depicted here—among other things, a rare gay take on the unique Japanese tentacle rape fetish—the anonymity might be understandable but the quality of the drawing is certainly good enough for the artist to reveal his or herself publicly. This may be the work of a moonlighting commercial artist unwilling to compromise their day job. Who knows?

Elsewhere on { feuilleton }
• The gay artists archive
• The fantastic art archive

21 comments or trackbacks

#1 posted by Nathalie

Jun 16th, 2007

Strange fantasies, but indeed the drawings are really good.
#2 posted by Wiley

Jun 16th, 2007

Not too sure about the last one with the pencil, but I do really dig the rest of them, though I certainly don’t envy any of those boys in the pictures. Then again, I almost never envy anyone being victimized in pictures I like, I simply like seeing it happen. If Zorn ever brought Naked City back together, I would absolutely not be surprised if he used this artist’s work in his usually elaborate album art.
#3 posted by John

Jun 16th, 2007

These pictures have that dubious ambivalence you get in the Japanese work where most of the “victims” (if they are victims) seem like willing participants. I’d say these are willing, for the most part. Not sure about the first one, though.

I’d forgotten about Zorn using this kind of art. I think the original Naked City album must have been one of the first places I saw anything like this, that stuff was pretty unknown in the west before the web came along.
#4 posted by Nathalie

Jun 16th, 2007

Indeed, they are reminiscent of certain Japanese prints. I have one somewhere involving a girl with an octopus that is very similar to these. And either partner did not seem particularly thrilled by the action either, that I remember.
#5 posted by John

Jun 16th, 2007

The octopus sex thing is a very curious Japanese invention that’s been a round for a long time. In recent years it’s evolved into scenarios with demons or alien beings or whatever. And many younger artists are imitating the manga/anime style so there’s even more cross-pollination going on, as these pictures demonstrate. (This assumes that NoBeast isn’t Japanese, of course.)
#6 posted by Wiley

Jun 16th, 2007

Most of the of the really intense mangas on Naked City albums were done by Suehiro Maruo, who is one of the best as far as I am concerned, though I can’t read Japanese so I am undoubtedly missing out on a lot of them. I typed in a search of your artist and found nothing, where on earth did you run across this badass NoBeast?
#7 posted by Martin Jones

Jun 16th, 2007

I assume the seed (excuse the pun) of all this comes from Hokusai’s The Amorous Octopus? Then let us not forget the gentle eroticism of Harry Clarke’s homage Ophelia/Lobster – not a penetration in sight!
#8 posted by John

Jun 17th, 2007

Wiley: these were found by accident after I saw a picture on the blog of someone I know then followed a link in the comments.

Martin: yes, Hokusai seems to be the first with the tentacles and his picture is rather more explicit than anything you’d see in western art at that time outside porn. Funny that people look askance at pictures like that yet western painting is full of similar scenarios with all those variations on Leda and the Swan, Ganymede and the Eagle, Europa and the Bull, et al.
#9 posted by Wiley

Jun 18th, 2007

An octopus just scares most more than a swan I guess. I agree they do seem willing, I just see them assuming a submissive victim’s role in the intimacy, I’d say I see eye to eye on a few things Bataille wrote, not to mention the penetrating members are huge and abrasive looking.
#10 posted by sebastiane

Oct 25th, 2007

very interesting, where did you find them please? where i can find more of this artist, it seems nothing really available on web.thnks
#11 posted by John

Oct 25th, 2007

Hi Sebastiane. These were all from this page and I’ve just noticed that the individual picture links I’d made weren’t working so that’s now been corrected. Some of the other pictures on that page look like they’re by a different artist although given the scarcity of information it’s hard to say for certain. As I mention above, I’ve not come across any other NoBeast work elsewhere.
#12 posted by sebastiane

Nov 1st, 2007

thank you
#13 posted by ruinedkuria

Nov 11th, 2008

thank you; i’ve been searching for such a long time for nobeast’s artwork. they used to be on y-gallery
#14 posted by seneschal

Apr 20th, 2009

His email was listed as being from russia, I sort of assume that he had to go into their mandatory military service and didn’t want things still posted when he did. Things aren’t friendly for gays in the russian military.
#15 posted by Steve

May 31st, 2009

Found some posted at a russian forum (linked).
#16 posted by lianna diabolique

Jun 26th, 2009

Absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. Gloriam Satane!
#17 posted by jack

Jun 27th, 2009

What is it that makes these pictures so exciting? Tentacle attack pics are nothing new, of course, but what’s new here is the superb draftsmanship. The victims are lovingly depicted, heightening our excitement at seeing them attacked and overwhelmed.

Thanks so much for sharing these thrilling pictures.
#18 posted by Jack

Jun 28th, 2009

Tentacled aliens attack a group of beautiful young boys. It’s a total hands-down victory. The unarmed boys haven’t got a chance. They scream in anguish as tentacles envelop them, crush them, and lap up their blood. Not one of them survives.
#19 posted by Cat

Aug 20th, 2009

Such gorgeous art, wonderful linework he (?) has there. But unfortunately, none of the links appear to be working, and the links to the pics you posted now have “forbidden” when the new page appears. Do you have a working link somewhere? Or is anonib completely down? Thank you for your time!
#20 posted by John

Aug 21st, 2009

Hi Cat. Yes, that image board vanished for good. I guessed it might–these things are often temporary–so I downloaded the larger versions as a precaution. I’ve now amended the links so you can see them in full hosted here. I hope NoBeast, whoever he or she may be, doesn’t mind.
#21 posted by Cat

Aug 21st, 2009

Thanks, John! This person’s work is technically outstanding, obviously professional, it’s a shame they seem to have disappeared. I did a bit more searching, they had a y!gallery page, but have deleted everything, several years ago by the looks of things. The only journal entry says “thanks for being nice to me”, or something to that effect. Another bit of information I found on another site wondered if they might be an artist called nonhuman on deviantart. Styles are similar, but it’s hard to say. Anyway, I appreciate your getting back to me, thank you!