Isabella Rossellini’s classic facial features show firsthand the remarkable techniques used by Mapplethorpe to compose photographs with excellent tone and texture. An obsessive perfectionism underlines much of Robert Mapplethorpe’s work. The matt monochrome of most of the images accentuates his subject material. Casual coverage of Mapplethorpe’s work often omit the portions of his portfolio that include glamorous society portraits and exquisite flower studies. Although Mapplethorpe’s male subjects evoke the most controversy, he actually photographed women much more than it would appear from critical reviews. His repertoire of women includes nude studies as well as formal portraits.

Self Portrait | Homoerotic | Form | Classical | Comments? You can view comments or reviews of the Robert Mapplethorpe Retrospective when visiting the Gallery of Photography, Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland from November 1996 through January 1997. Photograph copyright © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Site assistance provided by Temple Bar Properties.