Robert Mapplethorpe, Calla Lily, 1984

I've been a fan of Mapplethorpe since my introduction into photography as a medium and his commitment to legitimizing his practice and indirectly photography as a whole artform has been very inspiring to study. The image I've chosen to represent is somewhat uncharacteristic of my interest as I've always found his experimentation with the various forms the body can take more engaging than his flower still-life's. However, to understand Mapplethorpe and his intention as an artist you'd be doing a disservice not to approach him from the beginning. If your unfamiliar with Robert Mapplethorpe he was a queer studio photographer who emerged out of the New York art scene of the 60s and 70s. He's most well-known for his work depicting the male nude in a uniquely confrontational and unapologetic light in which he faced intense scrutiny for at the time due to societal pressure against photographers (especially queer artists) veering outside of the "morality" of art and non-conforming to a conservative expectation expected by higher institutions of art (until John Szarkowski). Critics argued Mapplethorpe's work was inherently exploitative and sexualized though this argument is entirely surface level. His intention in capturing the intricate details of a flower is no different than his approach to the male nude, the only difference being we have a lack of understanding of the nude not being inherently sexual. Flowers throughout history have been representational in art and culture for intimacy, innocence, and youth. I've never encountered an artist who depicts the sensuality of flowers with such care as Mapplethorpe. His transition from depicting flowers to people despite the obvious shift of subject the theme remains the same, it was always there. At a time where queer people and those who engaged in public dialogue on empowering sex were vilified and outcasted from society, Mapplethorpe represented the innocence of the nude regardless of intentions. I think we often forget we are of the natural world not above it and we shouldn't be ashamed of admitting that. (Week One)