Robert Mapplethorpe NYC Contemporary, 1980

One of the most groundbreaking photographers of the 20th century, Robert Mapplethorpe is known for his controversial photographs of New York’s underground communities, but by 1980, his practice was increasingly centred around shooting portraits, flowers and nudes in formal compositions in his studio. This development is reflected in the attention to light and balance that is apparent in this cropped image of a male dancer from the Contemporary Ballet Company in New York. The dancer’s two extended arms cross over each other, with one hand clenched and the other gently draped in a contrast between fragility and power that can be found across Mapplethorpe’s oeuvre. His considered depiction of the human form reflects his love of classical sculpture, which he applied to diverse and often subversive subject matter in a surprising marriage.