Connecting essay four - Robbert Mapplethorpe (Isabella Rosolini)

Isabella Rossellini portrait by Robert Mapplethorpe.
This photograph is like other Mapplethorpe photos in that the models suggested character is shown in the photo. She appears to be calm and quite relaxed in her facial expression yet her hand placement contrasts this as this is quite a stressed pose. She is wearing dark clothing on a dark background so her pale skin contrasts against this just showing the form of the model. This would make the audience see the model and her facial expression as the main focus of the photo which was most likely Mapplethorpe's intention with the photo. With the majority of the photo being in a very dark tone this then draws the eye directly to the models lips and facial features bringing back the attention to her facial expression. The model is also central also making her the central focus point of the photo.













This photo shows a fairly plain, calm facial expression but the placement of the hand and body suggests that this is not the emotion being experienced in the photo. The model is looking to the floor which gives the impression she is thinking about something adding another thing for the audience to think about with my photograph. She is off centre questioning her importance in the photo but the dark toned background reinforces her importance in the photograph. She is wearing a busy shirt which takes the attention away from her facial expression which was unintentional at the time but does show the models character to be quite artistic.

These two photos connect because they both show a model of which the emotion being shown is unclear and compromised by different aspects of the photos. Both photos use facial expression and body language in order to emphasise an emotion of which is still unclear. While one emotion taken from both photos is calm and relaxed shown in the facial expression of each model the other is stress and unease shown in the contrasting body language. Both photos use a female model and portray emotions stereotypically associated with the more weak female character. Finally both photos use a dark background emphasising the focus onto the model and there paler form against the dark.