R O B E R T
MAPPLETHORPE
Rober t Mapplet hor pe was an Amer ican photographer, who was massively known for his black and white photographs of the figure. Rober t Mapplet hor pe said t hat he saw ‘per fection in for m’ in all his subjects. Mapplethorpe’s provocative and powerful body of work has established him as one of the most known and important artists of the twentieth century. His work ranged from selfportraits, male and female nudes and celebrity portraits. Artists, musicians, adult film stars and p e o p l e h e k n ew we re a l l c a p t u re d o n Mapplethorpe’s camera. His work is now in a foundation, to raise money for research in the fight against AIDS and HIV. Some of his most controversial photographs are the ones I will be analysing. Images of the human body have attracted and fascinated people. The body has been celebrated by photographers and made more and more photograph the nude. The body in the 80s was quite a controversial photograph to take, especially of the man and adult film stars, as Mapplethorpe did. So, his work was quite controversial and some shamed upon it at first.
DENNIS
One of Robert Mapplethorpe’s pieces called “Dennis 1978”, which is from the male nude’s collection, highlights his fascinating and controversial work of photographing male and women nudes. As soon as you look at the photograph, the viewers’ attention is drawn to the bone structure of this man. The photograph has been taken to only capture from the chin to the chest. Mapplethorpe took this part of the body to signify strength and detail in the man. The macro focus of the lens details a dominant view of men, that they are strong and powerful. The photograph is quite vivid to the eye, as it shows structure. Dark shadows contrast to the light tones of the body, as the use of lights in the studio reflects onto certain parts of the body. The chest area of the body in this photo is light but is bordered by a defined dark bone structure. Robert Mapplethorpe highlights the concern that only women are sexualised in society through photography of the body. Mapplethorpe produced photographs that challenge the traditional aesthetic standards made about male and female nudes.
Mapplethorpe remained devoted to the minimal of black-and-white photography, it gives a more formal, professional and slick look. All of Mapplethorpe’s photographs are printed through a gelatin silver print. He is famous for juxtaposing conventional signs of men and women. Mapplethorpe questions traditional notions of “male” and “female,” revealing gender is constructed through the art of photography. He does display different views of men in his work, in this piece you can say that men are the ones now being sexualised, but also you can show how a dominant view is coming across that men a strong. This is due to the good muscle and bone structure we can see. The model is stood up straight, which can assert dominance of the photograph.
Mapple t hor pe was a f or malist, he was int erest ed composition, balance and beauty. He showed all types of beauty in his work varying from male to female nudes. Mapplethorpe said, ‘to make pictures big is to make them more powerful.’ This relates to the power shown through this image. It stands out as Mapplethorpe said it makes the p h o t o g r a p h ‘ b i g ’. T h i s w h o l e p h o t o g r a p h s h a p e s Mapplethorpe’s view of the body and how beautiful and intricate it is. The contrasting tones of black and white fit together to make the body of the man stand out. I do think this photographing gives a one-sided view of men. The dominant view of power and strength. If you were to view this in the late 70s, when it was made, people would be shocked, to see a male nude rather than a woman nude. Therefore, this piece does a very good showing of the dominant view of men.
"To make pictures big is to make them more powerful" ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
JOE RUBBERMAN
Another one of Robert Mapplethorpe’s pieces called “Joe Rubberman, 1978�, highlights his unique and controversial work of photographing male figures. The first thing that the eye is drawn to with this photograph is the man in the latex suit, he is part of the gay S&M underground. The photograph has been taken to show a landscape view of the full body. Mapplethorpe is showcasing the whole of the body in this. The photograph has light tones due to the studio lights reflecting onto the latex suit. Rober t Mapplethorpe highlights a side of life that is quite controversial as he is making a sexual statement. This photograph controversial as no one talks about or photographs adult themes like this, it is massively frowned upon in society, so many people are secretive about it. Mapplethorpe produced photographs that challenge the traditional aesthetic standards made about men in society.
Mapplethorpe stayed with his classic and minimal black-andwhite look, it gives a more professional and slicker look. Mapplethorpe questions traditional notions of “male” a n d “ f e m a l e ” . H e s h ow s different views of men in his work , in t his work he’s showing a side of men that was not talked about in the late 70s. The model is lay on a bench, which gives off a laid-back look. Mapplethorpe was interested in the beauty
of the body in many ways, so you could say his private life could of have some influence on choosing to photograph this theme. He showed all types of beauty in his work ranging from nudes, bodies and f lowers. Dur ing t he 1980s, a time marked by public homophobia and HIV/ AIDS-labelled as disapproving, a coalition of queer voices came together to make people aware of Mapplethorpe’s work.
Mapplethorpe pushed boundaries and altered norms in relation to the male gaze and sexuality. Involving his personal involvement in the 80s New York’s gay scene, he highlights a unique perspective on the underground LGBTQ+ culture. As an active participant, he produced photographs with people he had intimate acts with. Therefore, this photograph does a unique and powerful way of showing men in the 80s in a different way.
"When I work, and in my art, I hold hands with God." ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
This next piece of Robert Mapplethorpe’s work is called, “Thomas 1987”. The photograph is a profile view of a nude black male standing within a large white circular form. Mapplethorpe has used the rule of thirds to adjust his photo perfectly, the model fits the whole background. He only likes perfection in his work, so it is key that he made the choice of using the rule of thirds. The image is a gelatin silver print in the MIA’s collection.
THOMAS 1987
‘Thomas’ highlights Mapplethorpe’s distinctive colour palette of strong black and white and light greys. The palette shows strength and structure to the image. The blac k and grey signifies sophistication, authority and power, whereas the white signifies goodness and simplicity. In the photograph it shows the powerful physical presence of the model, by the bold colours and shadows.
There is a m a s s i v e attention to pose of the model as the stance he is in, almost looks like a statue, which refers to strength. He is in a ‘power pose’ that can reinforce a w e s t e r n patriarchal society, due to the stability in the stance. The studio lights used give an eye-catching detail to the contrast of the highlights and shadows. It traces the contours of his bodies and really defines his muscles.
In the 80s, Mapplethorpe became largely occupied in photographing African America models, which raised discussion about racism in America and stereotyping. He massively highlighted t he stereotypes of African American men in his work.
His models are frequently named in his collections, Thomas had a regular appearance in Mapplethorpe’s body nude images. Mapplethorpe only saw perfection in his images, which outcome in perfect photographs of physically attractive men.
"Beauty and the devil are the same thing" ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
After deeply analysing Rober t Mapplethorpe’s work and investigating the 1980s gay scene in America, I have found that Mapplethorpe work was ver y personal and frowned upon in society at that time, due to homophobia, discrimination and racism. The way he used the strong black and white tones in his photographs, shows h ow p owe r f u l a n d strong Mapplethorpe work was to people specifically men in the 80s. So, for the people who were involved in the intimate S&M gay acts, these were the ones who celebrated his work.
There was a beauty to Mapplethorpe’s work as it challenged all traditional views of men and women. Linking back to the quote I gave in my introduction, I think the body is perfection in all its way, it is never the same, there are no two similar bodies, which shows beauty is unique to each person. This is highly significant in Robert Mapplethorpe’s work as he sees true perfection in every nude. In conclusion, I think Mapplethorpe’s work is a breakthrough in the nude photography and has made a significant step in showing how fascinating the LGBTQ+ scene is.
Books: Brandt Nudes: A New Perspective The Body: Photo works of the Human Form Robert Mapplethorpe: The Photographs Robert Mapplethorpe - The Archive - Getty Publication Websites: http://www.mapplethorpe.org https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/art/the-body-observed/ The Photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe – Look Closer | Tate Robert Mapplethorpe - 524 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy Robert Mapplethorpe | The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation Bodies in Abstract - Photographs and text by Ernestine Ruben | LensCulture Other: "Master photographers”, BBC 1983 (Interview with Bill Brandt) "Robert Mapplethorpe: sex, portraits and flowers”, ABC news Australia 3/4 Great Artists in Their Own Words - But Is it Art ? (1966-1993) - YouTube - Robert Mapplethorpe interview Sources of Quotations: "To make photographs big is to make them more powerful" - Robert Mapplethorpe "Beauty and the devil are the same thing" - Robert Mapplethorpe "When I work, and in my art, I hold hands with God" - Robert Mapplethorpe Word Count: 1491 Words (Not including Bibliography)
List of illustrations: 'Dennis 1978' - gelatin, silver print by Robert Mapplethorpe
See page/s: 2-5 'Joe Rubberman' - gelatin, silver print by Robert Mapplethorpe
See page/s: 7-10
'Thomas 1987' - gelatin, silver print by Robert Mapplethorpe
See page/s: 12-15 'Embrace' - gelatin, silver print by Robert Mapplethorpe
See page/s: 18