Publisher/アート・ライフ

Google翻訳
This is the catalog for the "Mapplethorpe & Araki: A Hundred Flowers in Full Bloom" exhibition, a collection of floral works by two leading photographers of the late 20th century: Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989) and Nobuyoshi Araki (1940-). It was published as the official catalog for the exhibition of the same name, which toured the Niitsu Museum of Art, Odakyu Museum of Art, Museum "Eki" KYOTO, Kariya City Museum of Art, and other venues from 2001 to 2002. Mapplethorpe is a photographer who has had a great influence on the history of modern photography, expressing flowers and the human body with the tension and perfect beauty of classical sculpture. Araki, on the other hand, pioneered the realm of personal photography, and has produced a vast body of work on the themes of life and death, love and desire. This book focuses on the motif of "flowers" that both photographers have in common, while vividly highlighting the differences in their expressions. The exhibition positions Araki's flower photography as "luxurious and dynamic Baroque" and Mapplethorpe's as "serene and tension-filled Classicism," revealing that while both photographers captured the same flower, they developed completely different aesthetic sensibilities. Common themes such as Eros, the presence of death, and the brilliance of life can also be discerned, making this a valuable book that goes beyond a simple collection of flower photographs, allowing for a comparative study of the worlds of beauty and desire pursued by masters from both East and West.