Inez van Lamsweerde, Thank You Thighmaster, 1993.
Robert Maplethorpe, Ken Moody and Robert Sherman, 1984
Both mapplethope and Lamsweerde are addressing how sexuality and the body are portrayed or perceived through popular culture; creating complex images of the human figure that suggests these ideas as well as questions the authority of popular culture, and it's ability to construct prospects of falsely idealized bodies, as well an attempt to challenge the representation of the body and sexuality, when in concern with misleading identity construction created by the media, in relation to homosexuality.In lamweerde's images, there is this objectification of the body that occurs, however, this is intentionally done in an attempt to accentuate his message behind the work. The figures are lifelike in size, yet they embody this physical nature that is beyond pure size , that represents more a a doll in term of attributes of the face, body details, and postural positioning. The figure evokes this feeling of the unreal, but does so in such an uncanny way that is intentionally done in order to cause the viewer to have to reexamine the figure more than once. The message lamweerde is positing, is about how popular media sources and culture in general, have created a hyperbolic and false body of representation for what the deem to be an ideal form of the female figure. These images question that; utilizing wantonness visual techniques that push this notion onto the viewer in an attempt to question that norm or perception as well as directly critiquing it.While in Maplethorpe's images, he is very sensuously showing a side of homosexuality that in concept, is quite similar to that of Lamweerde, but in terms of formal visual elements, strikingly different.Maplethorpe's approach is more about displaying these two male, homosexual figures, in a very soft light;evoking feelings of interconnection and passion through the two men, which directly question the homosexual views of mass culture during that time period.Lamsweerde chooses to take a visual approach that will create the feeling of rejection and possibly disgust,which is intentionally done in order to bring out his concept. These artist both share conceptual ideas about identity and the way in which popular culture perceive them due to the media influence that was prevalent then, as well as today.
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