The Concept of the Gaze by Mark Malaya

The Article Skin Head Sex Thing, by Kobena Mercer, shows a great deal of interest in the form and shape of the African male's body. The Article consists of various nuances of homo-eroticism and a deep desire for the same sex; what's especially interesting about this article however, is that Mercer stresses the significance of African males in general. According to many sources, this article was revised in response many times, but its main purpose was to respond to the works of photographers such as Robert Mapplethorpe and other such artists. It was previously held by much of the audience of Mapplethorpe's work had the sole purpose of objectifying the black man and his image, "the overriding theme of my earlier readings of Mapplethorpe's photographs was that they inscribe a process of objectification." (Mercer 238). This objectification of the black male, especially in Mapplethorpe's works, has fleshed out the notion of the public that the black man is only an object and beyond his form and his purpose in the photo, has no greater importance. 

However, that creation of public opinion was never the intention of Mapplethorpe. Mercer offers his own insight to the actual purpose of Mapplethorpe’s, and a big part of his response deals with this concept known as “The Gaze.” The Gaze is a concept between the form of the body in the photo and the way the photo is taken and manipulated by factors such as light, the juxtaposition of dark and light colors, the form and etc. framed within the photographer’s artistic convention of the nude, “the bodies are sculpted and shaped into artifacts that offer an erotic source of pleasure in the act of looking” (Mercer 240).

The photo that I have chosen creates the sense of the gaze. This photo seeks to entice, not necessarily powerful enough to cause any action, but does incite a sense of curiosity. Looking at the quality of the photo one can marvel at the strength and muscular build of the model. His face, ambivalent and without emotion and the focus is centralized around his body. The first moment that your eyes are fixated is the initial gaze on the figure. The placement of his body evokes interest, and his posture evokes a sense of eroticism. That is the concept of the gaze and this photo exemplifies this concept greatly. 

Robert Mapplethorpe, Ken Moody, 1983 Gelatini De Plata