Robert Mapplethorpe's "Ajitto"

Mapplethorpe's photograph, Ajitto, shows a different – but no less artistic – depiction of the male form than Arnold Shwarznegger.  The image depicts a black man sitting on what appears to be a covered stool or pedestal, curled in the fetal position with his head resting on his knees.  His arms hold his knees close to his nude form, and we cannot see his face.  Nonetheless, it is apparent that the man is handsome and well-built with strong arms and legs.  The photo is a mixture of blacks and grays, and the lighting is what gives the image its depth.  Light shines off of the man's muscles, and the smooth shine of his skin contrasts with the fuzziness of his hair and the cloth texture of the fabric beneath his body.  On an unrelated note: the shape of the body and pedestal remind me of a tulip photograph that Mapplethorpe took, with the petals closed tightly and the flower standing straight against a plain backdrop.

 

The man in Ajitto is placed on a pedestal, which would normally imply a positive thing, but he is hiding himself as much as possible in this submissive pose.  Does this mean the man is ashamed of being objectified?  If so, is Mapplethorpe really trying to capture the struggle and objectification of black people during the time of slavery?  Though the man's body is beautiful, he hides it from the world as he sits upon a pedestal, aware of how he is being stared at as an object instead of a person.  The audience then may realize how shaming slavery was for black people and how they suffered from the popular view that they were little more than property to be displayed or put on a pedestal for viewing.  

Whereas the white body of Shwartznegger would have been seen as admirable, masculine, and dominant during the time of slavery or unequal rights for black people, the man in Ajitto would be viewed more as an object to be owned than a person showing off their body type.  Though I do not think Mapplethorpe was racist, I believe he was aware of racist undertones and depicted them well if one juxtaposed the two images.  Not only that, but he aptly showed that the bodies of both races were beautiful, despite their differences.  He was attracted to the male body, thus he photographed it in all its glory.  Yet, he did not forget the people inside the bodies and the situations that affected the individual as well as a race as a whole.