Robert Mapplethorpe, a photographer in the late 60's and early 70's photographed the nude and partially nude bodies of men in a way that emphasized the beauty of the male form. This could not be called the “female gaze” precisely because the photographer was male and not intending to reach a female audience in particular. Instead, Mapplethorpe seems to apply the male gaze to other males, admiring their bodies with the same kind of reverence and fascination that heterosexual men do with women. This is consistent with the knowledge that Mapplethorpe was homosexual and was attracted to the male body.
This photo, Arnold Shwartznegger shows the then-bodybuilder posing for the camera in a Speedo, his arms flexing behind him as he shows off the musculature of his legs, chest, arms and abdomen. The light accents the lines of the muscles showing through his skin, and though the audience can tell he is posing, Shwartznegger's body is not too stiff as he looks at the camera calmly. The white wall behind him shows the shadows on his body and highlights the contours, posing a contrast to the darker curtains on the left and the wood floor beneath his feet.
One could argue that this image is an erotic one, as Shwartznegger's body is pleasing to the eye and his pose is similar to that of male models, yet his expression does not seem seductive: he stares calmly and confidently into the camera. I would argue that the image calls back to roman sculptures of virile men like Lacoon and His Sons. Though Shwartznegger's body is the focus, by including the curtain and keeping him out of the center of the photo, I believe Mapplethorpe was showing how the bodybuilder's form could be compared to the curtain with its gentle creases similar to the shadows on Shwartznegger's muscles. The bodybuilder should be viewed as the epitome of masculinity, a callback to the Greco-Roman sculptures of the past.
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