Inspirational Portrait

Photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe

Robert Mapplethorpe's 1987 portrait of Andy Warhol is, to me, a perfect example of a portrait revealing the character of the subject while retaining the image quality required of any great photograph. Using geometry to his advantage, Mapplethorpe centers Warhol's head in front of a light circle on a dark backdrop, moving the viewer's eyes immediately to Warhol's face. The artist's eyes show sadness, and combined with his expression gives the viewer the sense that Warhol was troubled. This lines up with Warhol's shy yet sincere and introspective personality, and becomes especially powerful when considering the portrait was made shortly before his untimely death. Between the use of the geometrical background and capturing such a sincere, emotional expression, Mapplethorpe was able to turn his portrait into as artistic a statement as the works of Warhol himself, simplistic but powerful, capturing a mood the artist never managed in a number self-portraits.