The Horrific Violent Imagery of the BDSM Illustrator Joseph Farrel (58 Pics)
Marijn Kruijff
02/12/2021
11 min
17

The Horrific Violent Imagery of the BDSM Illustrator Joseph Farrel (51 Pics)

02/12/2021
11 min
17

In an interview the provocative film director Bruno Dumont once explained about his work that “The landscape is a reflection of the inner life. Since I can’t shoot the inner life, all I can shoot is the exterior but I know that when I’m filming outside, I’m filming inside. I can only really touch the inside through the mise-en-scene. So through the mise-en-scene of the outside we can explore the inside

Joseph Farrel Humiliations cover

Most Scandalous Since de Sade

The above quote came to my mind when I was introduced to the work of Joseph Farrel (1934). The daring tableaux of this French artist (Farrel is a pseudonym), whose work is described by the columnist, actor and admirer Christophe Bier ‘as the most scandalous since that of de Sade‘, have the same starting point. Farrel’s provocative drawings are far from the clichés of SM eroticism. He portrays a nightmarish, grotesque world, where the female body undergoes a whole lot of torture using terrifying devices.

Joseph Farrel kink art

Beyond Allowable Limits

Without taboos or limits, Farrel explores an outrageous sadism where traditional values are trampled on (such as marriage and family). Social satire is never very far away. In Farrel’s universe there’s no playful SM between consenting people. Here, the humiliated and tortured women are mortified without their consent. One can find this extreme genre to be beyond the allowable limits, but since these are fantasies written down on paper, aren’t fantasies, by definition, limitless – except by the imagination?

Joseph Farrel dildo

Understand the Artist

To better understand his work and imagination we’ve to better understand the artist. Farrel has always led a secluded discreet life, with his wife. Although he was (maybe still is) a practicing sadomasochist, who frequently visited BDSM clubs in Paris, built a lot of play instruments such as paddles, crops or wooden dildo’s, his real life was nothing like the dark fantasies portrayed in his drawings. For the self-taught Farrel, drawing has always been an outlet, in which he could express a violence he didn’t want to experience in real life. For instance, he is a big fan of horror movies but can’t stand the sight of blood at the same time. Therefore, it’s important to distinguish the man and his fantasies.

Joseph Farrel kink bdsm

Creative Power

Part of the strength of Farrel’s work is that he never drew to make a living. He produced his drawings for his own pleasure. That’s why he never sought to get out of the dying network of sex shops and didn’t regret his removal from the publisher’s world. Another element that makes his work so forceful is his creative power. The focus is on the erotic tension, the elaborate care to draw facial expressions, the significance of including a third person, a witness or contributor, who will fortify the humiliation of the victim.

Joseph Farrel bondage art

Eroticism of Depravity

The compositions are set up in such a way that they evoke maximum arousal for the reader, in which Farrel attaches importance to every detail. He is absorbed in the eroticism of depravity and pain, which really has nothing seductive to it and yet can be very arousing. He then uses his dark humor as a further weapon of humiliation, cruelty and hopelessness. The most horrifying erotic cruelty seem to happen by chance, often  we see elated torturers but also more subdued peeping Toms, all of them insensitive toward the pain they cause. This downplays the violence making it even more unbearable.

violent erotica Joseph Farrel

Impressive Nihilism

Although social commentary is not his starting point it is inherently there, because Farrel is inspired only by what surrounds him. The characters and settings are taken from direct experience. In an earlier interview Bier explains about Farrel’s motives the following, ‘He only draws to arouse himself and his audience: that’s his only concern. The only message that can be drawn from his work would be to try and confront his fantasies without the slightest fear, to go like him to the core of an idea, however frightening it may be. His nihilism is impressive, but what is truly magnificent is his creative strength to face it. He does not always come unharmed: he weeps over his drawings.’

Joseph Farrel erotic art

Sex Shops

Farrel produced nine books that were, because of its strong content, mainly sold through sex shops and adult book stores in limited editions. He was most prolific in the 1980s. The titles of these can be found at the bottom of this article.

I guess that if you’ve read until this point you’re not among the easily offended and ready to explore Farrel’s work even further.

Read ‘em and weep…

Joseph Farrel bondage

molestation joseph farrel

joseph farrel nipples

bdsm artist joseph farrel

Joseph Farrel interracial

Joseph Farrel erotic

Joseph Farrel dark erotica

Joseph Farrel de Sade

Joseph Farrel Kinky art

Joseph Farrel anal sex

tits erotic art

Joseph Farrel violent art

bdsm art joseph farrel

Joseph Farrel art

Joseph Farrel torture

Joseph Farrel extreme kink art

Joseph Farrel sadistic

Joseph Farrel drawing

Joseph Farrel torturing

Joseph Farrel torture art

Joseph Farrel tied female

Humiliation joseph Farrel

Joseph Farrel gang rape

bdsm art joseph farrel mistress

Joseph Farrel Humiliations book

Joseph Farrel Breast art

Joseph Farrel party

Joseph Farrel shibari

Joseph Farrel rape

Joseph Farrel artist

Bibliography:

 Obéis! Sinon (Obey! if not…) (1977)
Parfums de souffrance (Perfumes of Suffering aka.Painful Flavours) (1978)
Humiliations (1980)
Couleurs de sang (Blood color) (1982)
Douleurs Fugitives (Fugitive pain) (1983)
Le Rendez-vous de Sodomal (The meeting of Sodomal) (1984)
Les Seins Torturés (Tortured breasts) (1988)
Juex cruels (Cruel games) (1993)
Pourquai pleurent-elles? (Why are they crying?) (2012)

Obesi sinon joseph farrel

Front cover of the book ‘Obéis Sinon (Obey! if not…) ‘ (1977)

parfums de souffrance cover Joseph Farrel

Front cover of the book ‘Parfums de souffrance (Painful Flavours)‘ (1978)

Joseph Farrel Humiliations

Front cover of the book ‘Humiliations’ (1980)

Couleur Sang Jose[h Farrel

Front cover of the book ‘Couleur de Sang (Blood Color)‘ (1982)

Douleurs Fugitives Joseph Farrel

Front cover of the book ‘Douleurs Fugitives (Fugitive pain)‘ (1983)

Le Rendez Vous de Sodomal

Front cover of the book ‘Le Rendez-Vous de Sodomal (The Meeting of Sodomal)‘ (1984)

Les Seins Torturés Joseph Farrel

Front cover of the book ‘Le Seins Torturés (Tortured Breasts)‘ (1988)

Jeux Cruels Joseph Farrel

Front cover of the book  ‘Jeux Cruels (Cruel Games)‘ (1993)

Pourquoi pleurent elles?

Front cover of the book  ‘Pourquai pleurent-elles? (Why are they crying?)‘ (2012)

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Sources: Ayzad.com, Christophe Bier, Zwiggelaar Auctions, Biblio.com, Rakuten, Eurobuch, bdewm.blogspot.com.

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