Charles Tennant 1978

Curator: Robert Mapplethorpe's portrait of Charles Tennant certainly grabs your attention. The gelatine silver print is a square format, measuring roughly 34 x 34 centimeters. Editor: My first impression is how stark and cool it feels—the juxtaposition of the figure with what looks like a very industrial, almost grungy backdrop. Curator: Indeed, Mapplethorpe, who died in 1989, was deeply embedded in the socio-political milieu of New York’s art scene. One can only wonder how the social narrative inflected his work. Editor: And the grain of the photographic paper is so evident; you can see the texture of the materials, the physical act of its making, which complicates ideas of ‘high art’ production. Curator: True. Mapplethorpe gained notoriety as his work became increasingly visible in museum collections. He really helped redefine the public’s perception of what’s considered fine art photography. Editor: Absolutely. Considering the work's display within the institutional frame of the Tate, this image reflects a tension between subculture and mainstream art consumption. Curator: It’s fascinating to examine the layers of context, especially as the image becomes part of art history. Editor: I agree; the materiality and its cultural staging certainly open a lot of questions.