About this artwork
This is a striking image of the American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. It shows a young Mapplethorpe standing beside a camera, the paper backdrop appears to have fallen forward slightly to frame him perfectly. Mapplethorpe became infamous in the 1970s and 1980s for his photographs of the male nude and sexually explicit, gay imagery. Although often considered controversial, Mapplethorpe tested the right to individual freedom of expression. These images were not meant to be titillating or obscene but beautiful in a traditionally classical way. It could be seen that Swannell was evoking a similar idea in this work. This image was taken when Mapplethorpe came to London to photograph several people and used Swannell’s studio.
Updated before 2020
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artist:John Swannell (born 1946) English
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title:Robert Mapplethorpe (1946 - 1989). Photographer
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date created:1980
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materials:Gelatin silver print
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measurements:30.00 x 29.50 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Gift 1988
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accession number:PGP 180.21
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gallery:
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depicted:
John Swannell
John Swannell
Swannell left school at the age of sixteen and quickly immersed himself in the photography world. He worked as an assistant at Vogue’s studios, watching the likes of Richard Avedon and David Bailey at work. Bailey then employed Swannell as an assistant from 1969-73, before the rising photographer...