photographing the sculpted body
As you scroll down you will explore several distinct choices by photographers that dismantle and challenge the goals of renaissance and ancient sculpture. In The Young Archer, one of his first pieces, Michelangelo aimed to look like a classic by not constructing the arms of his sculpture as if they had fallen off on purpose. The artists, much like Michelangelo, place themselves into the greater legacy of history. The concept of masculinity is transformed by depicting the male body in shapes iconic to sculpture but explored in a new light. This page culminates with an exploration of Mapplethorpe's photography of the nude black male. This will be one of the first times in this online exhibit that we engage with race as having the potential to nuance and challenge the definitions of western imposed identity structures.
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the male TORSO
The torso is a subject of in both sculpture and photography because it forces the body to express without using the face or limbs, the most expressive parts of the human body. It is designed show off the beauty of the human body rather than to suggest any human activity.
The oldest and most famous iteration of the torso is the sculpture of the Belvedere Torso found in Rome in the 15th century. The sculpture was an inspiration for artists like Michelangelo because of the general shape of the sculptures body with its contorting muscles. The sculpture remains influential as a pillar of greek art. |
Sculpture consists of molded material; it is possible to make a torso without being bogged down by other body parts. In order to capture just the torso of a humans body, a photographer has to focus in on just a portion of a larger body. The photograph of a torso immediately becomes more intimate because of this close up view. This is an example of form follows function because there not many ways to avoid the close up frame of the body and still not see the subjects head or limbs. This close up view has two major results:
1. Proximity to the body forces us to see all of the bodies complexities. This is particularly important because it forces the viewer to see the reality of the subject. We will see that this component will be manipulated by photographers to dismantle concepts of perfection.
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2. Photography provides a singular fixed view of the torso where as sculpture invites a 3D interactive experience. A viewer can choose which angle they would like to view a sculpture. Photographs present the sole unabashed standpoint of the photographer.
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This section questions how the female viewpoint of the male torso in photography challenges the ideal of masculinity shaped by western culture. By photographing male nudes, women attempt to bring their own language into defining of masculinity. The photographers featured here refuse to objectify men the way men do to women so that the boundaries of gender can be broken.
In this photo we can clearly see the rippling of skin, freckles, and shadows all created naturally by the body. The collar bone, veins in the neck and body hair all work to show the imperfections of a body.
Rosenthal is focused on creating curved lines out of the shape of contour of a man’s bent torso. This depicts a man as vulnerable and soft instead of strong and forceful. This is also even more intimate because we are invited into the space his bent torso creates almost like we are in this mans womb. |
In the image on the left, Peschick manages to cut off the limbs and face to focus on the back side of the torso instead of the stomach. She casts the limbs in shadow with the placement of her light source. Peschick's crawling and emaciated torso contrasts that of the Belvedere torso, which is always presented as seated and has bulging muscles. She chooses to portray a man in a similar body contortion except crawling on the ground. This challenges the belvedere torsos position as an honorable and suggests it could be the sign of pain or defeat. This challenges the perception of man as strong and muscular. The subject is emaciated but is still a man.
Niccolini, Rosenthal, and Peschick are producing a new knowledge of the body through their work. They dismantle gender constrictions established by a lack of diversity in the depiction of male bodies. The lack of importance on the face and penis is meant to portray the subject as human rather than as a gender. The progress from clearly depicting the mans penis to Peshick completely obstructing it shows the progression of female photography to slowly blur the lines between male and female bodies leading towards androgyny. This is achieved through the use of chiaroscuro, casting shade in unnatural places which in this case serves to blur defined lines. Chiaroscuro can be used in photography by the photographer creating unnatural light sources that cast shades.
Mapplethorpe is doing similar work in his response to full body sculpture except he focuses more on the exploration of male sexuality. His work is unique because he consciously conflicts with the format and limitations of classical sculpture whereas other photographers of body work may not be as direct.
Mapplethorpe is doing similar work in his response to full body sculpture except he focuses more on the exploration of male sexuality. His work is unique because he consciously conflicts with the format and limitations of classical sculpture whereas other photographers of body work may not be as direct.
MAPPLETHORPE and FULL BODY SCULPTURE
Manfred transgresses classical and sculpture by creating room for new expressions of masculinity and heroism. This piece is clearly a comment on sculpture; the model stands in a space that typically would hold a sculpture forcing us to see the common man occupying noble space. Mapplethorpe brings sculpture to life by capturing the man in several positions in his frame. He chooses the photographs of body positions that are not used in classical sculpture.
Although he has space for four pictures in the series, Mapplethorpe chose to only use 3 and left one of these spaces blank. This decision is made in order to make the erotic become heroic. The series includes a picture of a man who is first nude, then clothed, and finally naked and with an erection. The empty space leaves the viewer to imagine what the fourth image could possibly be. This imaginative aspect encourages the viewer to expand their limits for gender and sexuality. Man can be anything.
In Manfred, Mapplethorpe challenges the distinction between naked and nude. He makes the naked feel heroic when it is typically thought of as a state of being that is stripped and embarrassed. The last panel with the picture of the erect man is Mapplethorpe's extension of not only naked as heroic but the erotic as heroic.
Although he has space for four pictures in the series, Mapplethorpe chose to only use 3 and left one of these spaces blank. This decision is made in order to make the erotic become heroic. The series includes a picture of a man who is first nude, then clothed, and finally naked and with an erection. The empty space leaves the viewer to imagine what the fourth image could possibly be. This imaginative aspect encourages the viewer to expand their limits for gender and sexuality. Man can be anything.
In Manfred, Mapplethorpe challenges the distinction between naked and nude. He makes the naked feel heroic when it is typically thought of as a state of being that is stripped and embarrassed. The last panel with the picture of the erect man is Mapplethorpe's extension of not only naked as heroic but the erotic as heroic.
In these images, Mapplethorpe exposes a 360 degree display of contrapposto, a position used in renaissance painting and classical sculpture. These two photographs prove that that he actively chose to have his model standing in positions that were incongruous with the classical format. His choice to defy this tradition is a post-modern gesture of mixing "high" and "low" art forms. This decision is an attempt to expand the limits of sexuality and masculinity.
The Black Body
Mapplethorpe makes sculpture come to life by placing living subjects in iconic roles. In his work photographing black bodies, he strikes a tension between objectifying black bodies yet at the same time giving them agency. Using light and framing to make the black body look like sculpted stone is a form of objectification yet he still aims to capture the essence of his subject at the same time.
These photos begin to depict Mapplethorpe’s presentation of the body as sculpture. Like the selections of female photographed torsos, Mapplethorpe creates intimate framing that only captures the certain aspects of the body. Unlike the photographs invoking the belvedere torso, these photos do not aim to express humanity but objectivity. Both images use light to bounce off the glistening bodies and make their skin look as smooth as marble. This objectification of the body is attempting to accomplish a different thing than the earlier photos; Mapplethorpe is showing the black body as capable of achieving the perfection that is shown in classical examples of the male standard. This is an exertion of power in the black body.
In Derrick Cross, Mapplethorpe’s focus on the legs and buttocks of the model once again challenge our conception of what is nude and what is naked. The image is erotic because it focuses on the curves of a body part that is not the sculptors intended viewpoint for an audience. Mapplethorpes choice to frame this viewpoint is to show that even in noble positions there exists a sense of nakedness and eroticism. This is also exemplified by the fact that the legs are shaped similarly to how they would be if the entire figure was in contrapposto. The fact that it is possible to see nakedness and eroticism born from the noble positions of classical form is Mapplethorpe’s assertion that the categories of erotic and heroic need to be blurred.
In Derrick Cross, Mapplethorpe’s focus on the legs and buttocks of the model once again challenge our conception of what is nude and what is naked. The image is erotic because it focuses on the curves of a body part that is not the sculptors intended viewpoint for an audience. Mapplethorpes choice to frame this viewpoint is to show that even in noble positions there exists a sense of nakedness and eroticism. This is also exemplified by the fact that the legs are shaped similarly to how they would be if the entire figure was in contrapposto. The fact that it is possible to see nakedness and eroticism born from the noble positions of classical form is Mapplethorpe’s assertion that the categories of erotic and heroic need to be blurred.
The Discobolus of Myron is an iconic Greek sculpture that served as proof of Greek excellence in art as well as athleticism. It is one of the most Mapplethorpe’s subject mimics the athleticism of the Discobolus except in the position for another ancient sport, shot-put. The positions are similar because of the physical motion necessary and their histories in the greek originated olympics. The similarity makes it clear that this is an example of Mapplethorpe’s imitation of a classic position. The image of a black man in this position is powerful because it implicates that black bodies too, although marginalized and oppressed by the descendants who claim Greek excellence, are capable of similar magnitudes of strength and intelligence.
The two photos of Phillip imply that he’s dancing. The spacing of his feet and leaning of the body make the him seem more like he is about to dance rather than throw an object. In the context of African-American culture, dance as a physical athleticism, is based off of bending the body to its limits to make it free of constraint. This means that Mapplethorpe’s subject is both free and constrained. The position of these two photos together show the black body in an African American tradition of dance and a western tradition of athletic form.
The two photos of Phillip imply that he’s dancing. The spacing of his feet and leaning of the body make the him seem more like he is about to dance rather than throw an object. In the context of African-American culture, dance as a physical athleticism, is based off of bending the body to its limits to make it free of constraint. This means that Mapplethorpe’s subject is both free and constrained. The position of these two photos together show the black body in an African American tradition of dance and a western tradition of athletic form.
In this photo the appearance of the white cloth is essentially the only clue that Mapplethorpe is relating to sculpture. Similar to his use of sexuality in Manfred, Mapplethorpe presents the subject in the space where a sculpture should exist except the man has come to life. This is important because the subject is naked and his sexuality is made the focus. Black male sexuality in the United States is very controversial because of the history of oversexualization of their bodies. Once again Mapplethorpe is in tension between objectifying and illuminating a truth. On one hand he too could be participating in the constant objectification of black male sexuality. On the other hand his presentation of black sexuality could challenge the viewer to accept it as noble or artistic.
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