Dimensions: support: 340 x 341 mm
Copyright: © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Mapplethorpe’s portrait of Patti Smith is so striking. The monochrome palette and her posture make her look very vulnerable, and powerful at the same time. What do you see in this piece? Curator: This photograph speaks volumes about the negotiation of female identity and the male gaze. It challenges the objectification of women, presenting Smith as an active subject. How do you interpret her gaze? Editor: She seems self-aware, almost challenging the viewer. Curator: Precisely! Mapplethorpe, despite being male, collaborated with Smith, giving her agency. The rawness of the image defies conventional beauty standards, embracing a more authentic representation of femininity. It is a feminist statement, isn't it? Editor: It definitely gives a new perspective on the power dynamics in portraiture. Curator: Absolutely. Understanding the historical context helps us see the portrait as part of a larger cultural conversation around gender and artistic expression.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/mapplethorpe-patti-smith-ar00186
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In this black and white portrait photograph the singer-songwriter Patti Smith sits naked on a wooden floor in a crouched position, her legs folded so that her knees are tight against her chest while her hands grip the radiator pipes in front of her. Smith’s body is in profile facing towards a window above the pipes, but her head is turned towards the camera. Her short dark hair frames her face and is slightly tousled. She is positioned slightly off centre, sitting to the left of the image. She occupies what appears to be an empty room with painted white brick walls, wooden floors and a radiator which extends from where she is sitting to the adjacent wall in the background. A series of horizontal lines – including the radiator pipes, the flooring and the brick work – are contrasted by the vertical lines of the pipes rising from the radiator and the vertical wooden frame of the window. The singer’s limbs and torso mirror these vertical and horizontal lines, while also introducing some soft diagonals to the composition. Light comes in through the windows creating illuminated surfaces on the left side of her slim body, while casting shadows on the right side of her face, flanks and slightly hunched back.
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