The OCA tutor for TAOP course had suggested I look at Robert Mablethorpes flower photography, as I had chosen black and white photos of Flowers and Plants for the Elements of Design assignment. I also hoped to see some portrait photography, although I was not familiar with this aspect of his work. I was pleased to find that there was a good selection of self portraits and portraits in the exhibition, several of which were of interest. I paid less attention to the nudes and figure photos which were the largest group in the exhibition.
General notes
Apart from some early Polaroid photos, the self portraits and portraits of celebrities seemed to be studio photographs using artificial light. Several of the flower photographs, on the other hand, gave the appearance of using natural light, with diagonal light and shadows lit as if in a room with skylights. According to the exhibition notes, Mablethorpe used a Hasselbad 500 for most of his work.
Seeing the range of his work together, I was struck by two characteristics:-
- He was influenced by classical art and sculpture in many of his nude studies of men and women, striving to photograph perfection in form (see comments on portrait of Isabella Rosellini below). He was described as a perfectionist in various parts of the exhibition. I felt that some of these were photographs of people as figures with an interesting shape, rather than portraits of people.
- In the self portraits, he often is dressed up and acting a part - as a hoodlum, as a woman etc. Even in his portraits of celebrities, he seemed to look for a dramatic pose, for example Donald Sutherland seems to be acting the part of a gangster or cop.
Self portrait 1988
Unusually amongst the photos in the exhibition, this is a relatively conventional portrait. The photographer is seated in an arm chair directly facing the camera. He is looking directly at the lens, leaning forward slightly with one hand on his knee and the other just below his face. He is simply dressed wearing a dressing gown and slippers. I understand that he died of aids in the following year, 1989. This photograph could have been taken when he was already unwell. The background would appear to be a backcloth which is curved underneath the chair giving a progression from mid- to dark-tone behind the chair. The lighting is mainly from the front so that there are virtually no shadows around the eyes and nose. There are also highlights in the hair suggesting that a lamp may have been placed above the head to make the hair stand out against the background.
Isabella Rosellini
This is a very striking photograph of the head and shoulders of this woman. Her dress, the background and her hair (apart from a highlight) are totally black. Her face and hands are lit so that they are virtually white with only the slightest suggestion of form (I assume that the light skin colour is due to lighting rather than make-up). She is glancing downwards with hands on either side of her face portraying a feeling of sadness or reflection. The reason for the unexpected familiarity of this image did not strike me until I saw the comment noting the resemblance to a catholic madonna.
This is a head and shoulders of the actor, standing sideways and turning to look at the camera. There are hard shadows under the hat, and eyebrow, and across the jacket, creating the impression that the actor is under a film spotlight. The actors expression with a quizzical raised eyebrow implies that he was caught in mid-performance. The plain background however suggests that the photo was taken in a studio photo rather than a film set.
Annie Leibovitz 1983
Unusually photographed in profile, the mid- to light-tones of her face and hair stand out against the dark tones of the leather jacket and a light background. The result is visually striking and it would be interesting to know how he came to this composition. Also, having seen the self portraits in which Mablethorpe is role-playing, I wondered whether the jacket and expression are Annie Leibovitz's natural self or whether there is an element of theatre in the photograph.
Cindy Sherman 1983
This caught my eye not just because the subject is another famous photographer. I appreciated the variety in treatment with the Annie Leibovitz portrait. With Cindy Sherman, her clothes, expression and posture (with hands behind her back) imply a more introverted personality. Visually, the tone of her suit, face and hair are very similar, set off against a medium dark background. The framing is head and torso, which reveals the slightly sinuous posture, with the head leaning to one side, glancing at the camera. As with the previous photograph, it is difficult to judge how much the image is affected by an element of theatre and how much is natural to the subject.
Conclusions
The prominence of self-portraits in his early work made me realize that I should use myself as a subject and guinea pig to experiment with set arrangements and poses for the various projects on this course.
It also prompted me to strive for simplicity in composition and to use tones and colours in a selective way.
.jpg)
