With a unique ability to capture the naked male body, the work of artist and illustrator Nicolas Brunet always gets our attention.

We’re particularly obsessed with his series of illustrations inspired by the legends and stories of Greek Mythology.

These illustrations were the beginnings of a book that Brunet was collaborating on, but the project ended without publication, so Brunet has now released the images to the world.

We caught up with Brunet to talk about the homo-eroticism of Greek Mythology.

What research did you do in order to identify which scenes to draw for this series?

It was a collaboration with a friend – we both came up with some ideas, playing with mythology and trying to play with some gay stuff. It was supposed to be a bit like a joke and for fun.

Who are some of your favourite characters from the tales of Ancient Greece and the classical era?

I love the story of Perseus, Medusa and Andromeda. I find it very epic. I also like the story of Odysseus. There are so many – I can’t name them all.

What is it about the characters and stories from this era that enables us to project our homoerotic fantasies?

I think the gods don’t really care about their sexuality. Zeus and Ganymede, or Poseidon and Pelops. Lots of the stories and myths are about love affairs, and many characters are described as gorgeous. Plus, the clothes help to add some sexiness – they’re all almost naked.

What’s the creative process you’ve followed to bring these scenes to life?

It was a very intense creative process. My friend and I had many ideas – too many ideas. We started with some basic fun stuff, like – What if Theseus fucks the Minotaur? Along the way, more ideas came as we were reading our mythology books.

What do you hope that people feel when looking at your illustrations of these myths and legends?

I hope they find it funny and cool. There’s nothing serious in it. If they can appreciate the ink drawings, it’s a bonus to me. I did it with passion, as I’ve always loved Greek mythology. It wasn’t easy, but it was very cool to draw these scenes.

Achilles and Chiron

Chiron was a centaur – known for being particularly wise and learned of nature. He taught many young men as his students, but his most famous student was Achilles.

Ulysses and the Cyclops

Ulysses is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey. He is most famous for his eventful ten-year journey home after the decade-long Trojan War.

One of the adventures during this journey home was an encounter with the cyclops Polyphemus. Ulysses defeats Polyphemus by blinding him with a wooden stake.

Pygmalion

Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved.

Perseus and Phineas

Andromeda was betrothed to Phineas, until Perseus rescued her from a sea monster and it was agreed she would marry him instead. At the wedding celebrations, Phineas and his followers burst in to attack Perseus, who unveiled the severed head of the gorgon, Medusa, and turned them to stone.

Ixion and Hermes

Ixion was king of the Lapiths, the most ancient tribe of Thessaly.

Ixion lusted after Hera, the wife of Zeus. Zeus ordered Heremes to bind Ixion to a fiery wheel that sent him spinning across the sky for eternity.

Heracles and Geryon

Geryon was a fearsome giant who dwelt on the island Erytheia in the far west of the Mediterranean. Geryon was often described as a monster with human faces.

To accomplish his tenth labour, Hercules was ordered to deliver the cattle of Geryon to Eurystheus.

Glaucus and Polyidus

Polyidus was a famous seer from Corinth. Glaucus was the son of King Minos of Crete. King Minos refused to let Polyidus leave Crete until he had taught Glaucus the art of divination. Polyidus did so, but then, at the last second before leaving, he asked Glaucus to spit in his mouth. Glaucus did so and forgot everything he had been taught.

Apollo and the Python

Python was the serpent who lived at the centre of the Earth. Apollo slew Python.

Theseus and the Minotaur

King Minos of Crete had defeated King Aegeus of Athens in battle. As tribute, Minos demanded that, at nine-year intervals, seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls were to be sent to Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monster that lived in the Labyrinth created by Daedalus.

Theseus, the son of Aegeus, volunteered to try and end the tribute. Using a ball of thread, Theseus navigated the Labyrinth and defeated the Minotaur.

Priapus and Pollux

Priapus is a lusty god of fertility. Pollux is a son of Zeus.

Orpheus

Orpheus is a legendary musician with an ability to charm all living things with his music.

Icarus and Helios

Helios is the personification of the sun. Icarus is the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the creator of the Labyrinth. Icarus and his father attempt to escape from Crete by means of wings that his father constructed from feathers and wax. Icarus ignored his father’s instructions not to fly too close to the sun – the wax in his wings melts and he falls into the sea where he drowns.

Heracles and Antaeus

Antaeus was the son of Poseidon and Gaia.

Antaeus would challenge all passers-by to wrestling matches. He remained invincible as long as he remained in contact with his mother, the earth. Heracles encountered Antaeus on his way to the Garden of Hesperides – his 11th Labour.

Heracles realised that he could not beat Antaeus by throwing or pinning him. Instead, he held him aloft and then crushed him to death in a bear hug.

Dionysus

Dionysus is the god of the grape-harvest, wine-making and wine, and fertility. Worship of Dionysus played a key role in male sexuality, particularly in the transition of boys to men.

Apollo and Marsyas

Marsyas was a satyr who challenged Apollo to a contest of music. The terms of the contest stated that the winner could treat the defeated party any way he wanted.

Zeus and Ganymede

Ganymede was described as the most beautiful of mortals. Zeus fell in love with his beauty and took the form of an eagle so he could abduct him, taking Ganymede to Olympus where he served Zeus as cup-bearer or wine-pourer.

The story of Zeus and Ganymede was the model for the Greek social custom of paiderastía – the romantic relationship between an adult male and an adolescent male.

Tantalus

Tantalus was made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches, with the fruit ever eluding his grasp, and the water always receding before he could take a drink.

The punishment was for having killed his son as a sacrifice to the Gods, and having him cooked and served as a meal.

Poseidon and Pelops

The son of Tantalus, Pelops was the King of Pisa. Pelops was sacrificed by his father, but brought back to life by the Gods. After Pelops’ resurrection, Poseidon took him to Olympus, and made the youth his apprentice, teaching him also to drive the divine chariot.

Oedipus and Laius

Laius was an interesting character. He’s accused of abducting and raping Chrysippus – the son of Pelops, King of Pisa.

Laius and Chrysippus returned to Thebes, where Laius became King. Laius subsequently married Jocasta and they had a son, Oedipus.

Aware of a prophecy that he would be killed by his son, Laius abandoned Oedipus and the boy grew up unaware of his true parentage. Unaware of his relationship to them, Oedipus subsequently murdered Laius and married Jocasta, his mother.

Hypnos and Endymion

Endymion was a handsome Aeolian shepherd. Hypnos – the personification of sleep – was so in awe of his beauty that he caused Endymion to sleep with his eyes open, so he can fully admire his face.

Hector and Patroclus

Hector, a prince of the Trojans, killed Patroclus during the Battle of Troy. Patroclus was the lover of Achilles.

Dionysus and Zeus

One of the myths of the birth of Dionysus is that he was born from the thigh of Zeus.

Adonis and Ares

Adonis was an extraordinary handsome mortal, and a lover of Aphrodite. Ares, the God of War, was also a lover of Aphrodite and took the form of a wild boar to kill Adonis.

Ulysses and Telemachus

Ulysses and his son Telemachus kill the suitors that have pursued Penelope while Ulysses has been absent at the Trojan War.

Sisyphus and Thanatos

King Sisyphus of Corinth was one of the few mortals to outwit Thanatos – the personification of death. When it came time for Sisyphus to die, Zeus ordered Thanatos to chain Sisyphus up in Tartarus. Sisyphus cheated death by tricking Thanatos into his own shackles, thereby prohibiting the demise of any mortal while Thanatos was so enchained.

Poseidon and Caeneus

Caenis was a woman who was abducted and raped by the god Poseidon, After raping Caenis, Poseidon promised to grant Caenis a wish. Caenis was so distraught that she demanded to be changed into a man, so that she might never be wronged again. Poseidon granted this wish, and also gave Caenis impenetrable skin. Thereafter, the spelling of Caenis was changed to Caeneus to mark his transformation.

Narcissus

Narcissus was a hunter from Thespiae in Boeotia who was known for his beauty. Narcissus is the origin of the term narcissism, a fixation with oneself and one’s physical appearance.

Hyacinthe, Thamyris and Zephyrus

Hyacinth was a very beautiful Spartan prince and lover of the god Apollo. Hyacinth was also admired by the West wind Zephyrus, and by a mortal man named Thamyris.

Harmodios and Aristogiton versus Hipparchus

Harmodius and Aristogeiton were lovers from ancient Athens. They became known as the Tyrannicides, the preeminent symbol of democracy to ancient Athenians, after they committed an act of political assassination at the 514 BC Panathenaic Festival. They assassinated Hipparchus, thought to be the last Peisistratid tyrant.

Cadmus and the giants

Cadmus was the founder and first king of Thebes. Cadmus was the first Greek hero and, alongside Perseus and Bellerophon, the greatest hero and slayer of monsters before the days of Heracles.

The Ismenian dragon was a giant serpent which guarded the sacred spring of Ares near Thebes. When Cadmus arrived, seeking to found the city, he slew the monster with a heavy stone. The goddess Athena then instructed him to sow the dragon’s teeth, producing a crop of fully-grown, armed warriors called Sparti, five of which became the ancestral lords of Thebes.

Does Nicolas Brunet only draw Greek gods?

Brunet is a talented illustrator who finds his erotic inspiration in all sorts of places. We particularly love his illustrated celebrations of the men of gay porn.

We caught up with Brunet to talk about the art of drawing gay porn stars.

When you’re drawing an image of a porn star, which part of the body do you start with?

Usually I’m starting with the shape of the face, then the nose, eyes or mouth, and then hair.

I like drawing the hair on a guy’s head, but drawing hair on a chest is very boring and time-consuming. So is drawing a tattoo. I like hairy guys just as much as guys with smooth bodies, but I don’t draw many hairy men  -  it’s just laziness.

I also like drawing different body shapes  –  muscular guys as well as thin guys. What I like is the harmony of the shape of the body. It’s a bit like listening to music  –  you can enjoy both happy songs and sad songs for the different feelings that they give you. With muscular guys, I know that I’ll have to play with the rhythm of curving lines, whereas with thin guys it has to be more angular lines.

The most difficult part of a male body to draw is abs. I find it really difficult to draw abs on a guy.

Does drawing hot guys having sex turn you on, or is it more the challenge to capture the moment?

I get hard thinking about the idea of what I’m going to draw, but when I’m actually drawing I’m too focused on the technical side of things to think about sex.

There is something sensual about the feel of the pencil, the movement over paper, and the smell of ink, but there’s a lot to concentrate on  -  the lines, the shadows, the proportions, the colours. I enjoy the process but it’s not a turn-on.

You’ve said that you’re inspired and influenced by Japanese manga, what makes manga and bara such a sexy art form?

Bara is sexy because everything is oversized. Bara uses the graphic code of manga which is to exaggerate the body  –  big eyes, disproportionate physiques. This style of drawing makes characters unreal  –  you can’t really identify yourself with these characters, but it sets your imagination free. There’s no limits, which is cool. It’s pure entertainment.

In recent years, manga and Japanese anime have been exported all over the world. Series like Ghost in the Shell, Pokémon, Naruto, Dragon Ball, and the work of Miyazaki became phenomenons all over the world. People who are fans of anime, manga, and porn are able to access a lot more of this art-form.

Which porn stars are currently catching your attention?

It’s hard to answer that question  –  I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Every guy has something that catches my attention  –  it could be the shape of their body, their eyes, their mouth, even their nose or the shape of their jaw.

Sometimes I draw someone just for a detail of their face or body. For example, I love Pietro Duarte’s mouth, lips and jaw. I love Arad Winwin’s eyes, and Leander’s red hair and body shape. I love the total look of Sebastian Keys. I love Antonio Miracle’s eyes, nose and jaw. I love the broken nose and fit body of Caleb King. I love the nose and eyes of Tim Kruger. Also, I absolutely love the nose of Klein Kerr. The eyes of Shawn Andrews, the thin body of Cory Kane, the long body shape and naughty eyes of Skyy Knox. I like a lot the haircut of William Seeds, as well as his square jaw and lips. Plus I love Yujen’s body’s proportions. I could go on.

Sometimes, actors that I find fucking hot and sexy and very photogenic would make a very bad drawing  -  of course, the opposite is also true. There’s some guys that I really like  -  personally and physically  -  but I can’t succeed in drawing a nice portrait of them.

Recently, I’ve been looking at some non-porn models. Guys like Brandon Mayers, Zander Hodgson, Anthony Forte, Phil Bruce, Nick Sandell, Todd Sanfield, Diego Barros  –  it’s also interesting to draw them.

What do you want guys to feel when they’re looking at your drawings?

I’m selfish  –  I’m drawing what I want, when I want, and who I want. I’m not taking requests or commissions  –  that puts me under too much pressure and stress.

But what’s personal can become universal. I hope that I can give people a few seconds of entertainment  –  it’s a bonus if they consider it art.

I do get some guys sending me messages telling me that my illustrations make them horny, and photos of their cum-shot. I take that as a compliment.

Comments