AMD 317 Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures Documentary Response
After watching the documentary, Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures, I had many mixed emotions about how I felt about the work of Robert Mapplethorpe and about him as an artist and a person. I could understand why his work was controversial, but also pushed the boundaries of what we considered to be fine art versus pornography. I wondered to myself how different the work would had been interpreted if it consisted of heterosexual content instead, would the work had been not considered as graphic? I did not agree with the habits of Mapplethorpe however, I found him to be extremely egotistical and narcissistic in his approach to himself and people in his life. Throughout watching the documentary, I felt that Mapplethorpe’s addiction to achieving fame and fortune became a toxic endeavor towards trying to show off. However, I appreciated the work Mapplethorpe made, as it made me think about what we consider to be art, as well as just how subjective art is overall. I thought the connection the film made to Mapplethorpe’s catholic upbringing and his use of S and M and content in his work really related to each other, I suppose I never really considered how religion would influence his photography with BDSM content. The documentary also made me think about myself as a gay man, how the content featured in his work had mostly unfazed me. I can understand why others found his work to be grotesque, but it also documented a community not typically brought up, it challenged what the usual was and still does today. Although I don’t agree with Mapplethorpe as a person, I appreciate the work that he made.
