[rollei_list] Re: OT Mapplethorpe
- From: John Lehman <johnfromalaska@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:33:44 -0800
Mark Rabiner <mark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> I'm no expert on photography, or art, or especially art photography, but my
>> impression of Newton's work was that it was not at all negative in his
>> portrayal of women.
>> Quite the contrary, actually: the women in Newton's images are univerally
>> strong and confident in their bodies and sexuality; in fact, in the images,
>> it's usually the women who are using their sexuality as a controlling power
>> over the men in the frame, as well as the implied men beyond the frame (esp
>> viewers). I always thought this was a phenomenal commentary on modern
>> society. (There's a particular self portrait of Newton and his [nude] wife
>> where I thought he made a particularly poignant remark about himself etc in
>> this regard.)
>> Doubtless there are more than a few feminists this might be off-putting to,
>> but living in the NYC area, I'm confident that there are more than a few
>> femminists that would strongly support this portrayal, as well. Very shallow
>> if there is some university somewhere which was unable to see this side of
>> things.
Working in a university and being male, I am by definition unqualified
to comment on this (being, as a result my ancestry and of having
external genitalia, an enemy of the people, a representative of
patriarchal hegemony and many other bad things). However, I am married
to a blatant heretic -- one of the only women faculty members in our
college of liberal arts who refused a joint appointment as a professor
of women's studies when that program was founded. When we visited
Berlin a few years ago, she scheduled a visit to the Helmut Newton
museum for our first day there. She also bought all of our books of his
photography.
Disclaimer: as an employee of the State of Alaska, I am forbidden to
hold or express political or religious opinions in conflict with
executive orders issued by current or former governors.
--
John Lehman, College Alaska
---
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