Cuyamaca College Controversial Art in Context Mapplethorpe’s work Discussion

Take a look at some of  at: http://www.mapplethorpe.org/portfolios/ (Links to an external site.)

• Pretend you were on the defense team representing Mapplethorpe in the Ohio obscenity case, make the case for art viewed IN context.
• Use the language of form, scale, tone, composition, narrative, and the rest of the visual elements of art and principles of design.

1. Choose one of Mapplethorpe’s six folios (self portraits, male nudes, female nudes, flowers, portraits, and statuary) on the website.
2. Describe how the images relate to one another within the context of the group.
3. Describe why seeing these images in a folio contributes to the meaning or artistic value.
4. Why would the artist group these images together intentionally? What relationships can you see between the images?