Overall I really liked the work of Mapplethorpe and how the documentary framed his work and the motivations behind his photographic work. It really sets up the time period in a fun way and makes you feel like you really are there. I also think that what he was taking pictures of was so outside of what was expected at the time that it made people uncomfortable. Because of the subject of things like pictures that include nudes it can cause people and especially to the American public as something controversial. I thought the documentary had a lot of ideas to get across and at times it felt like too much. But at the same time I think it matched the mood of the 1970’s as that time was a lot as well as Mapplethorpe himself. And as many artists before and after him when they become famous they have the opportunity to sell out and this is what he does. His initial work is something that is against the grain and nonconforming. He takes pictures of what he wants and doesn’t care what other people think of it. And that is what initially draws people to his work as something taboo but as he gets more and more attention from people he is able to make a living doing this work. But he now gets paid for a more palatable and watered down version of his work and that kind of makes me sad.
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Mapplethorpe Response
Mapplethorpe Response
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