Eric Wickes Commentary

The Drawers - E.J. Wickes Commentary written by Julie Oakes

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An Exotic Erotic Christmas, Dec 9 - Jan 11, 2007

Eric's drawings of sexy women in provocative poses bring to mind a tradition of illustrations associated with 'slick'. There was an adept, talented hand drawing, a playboy's touch that brought an insinuation of class, taste, and even elegance to the acts depicted. From a decidedly male gaze, an appraisal is taken from a connoisseurs vantage point with the cliché accoutrements of glossy pin-up girls - little white socks, high platform heels, bondage ties, blindfolds, a man's shirt and tie on a nearly naked woman. This is the sex trade at its best, a land that has assumed an almost mythological proportion in the annals of sex history, the time honored rumor that there are high-class whores. The women, created by Eric (do such women exist?) coax us into the fantasy of sex for sale, the sex that costs yet has no attachments and is free in other respects; free of strictures, commitment and certainly not tainted by either the harsh realities of disease or the sour aftertaste of moral judgment. Eric Wickes is giving us the all American man's interpretation of the all American dream girl, the same 'girl next door' that first inspired Hugh Heffner to launch Playboy Magazine.

In a world where the articulation of sexuality has become politicized, policed and rebellious, it is an act of courage to present such a testament to the enjoyment of a man's taking a woman. Without the worry that he might be branded a misogynist, harbor an unrealistic vision with AIDS raising a grim specter over the sex trade or that the full blooded male stance is not quite 'hip' in our bisexually oriented liberation; Wickes delivers a handsome product. The babes are hot and if the orientation is 'het', the desire rises to 'do' them. Has Eric managed to win over the critical perception, titillate the prudish and entice the eyes of the modest? These elegant drawings, “Ex-girlfriends,” bring exotic up to the dignity of Gypsy Rose Lee when she first peeled off her glove as a 'strip tease artist.’