America, 1988

Robert Mapplethorpe's America is a three-part photographic edition that captivates through formal rigor and symbolic density. Woman, flower, and man appear in extreme overexposure, rendering the bodies almost sculptural and marble-like – a reference to classical ideals. The nudity of the figures is both emphasized and restrained by their covering hands, lending the depiction a controlled and stylized quality. The flower serves as a central symbol, mediating between the genders – an emblem of hidden sexuality and its sublimation. America explores concepts of the body, gender, and ideality, while also offering a critical reflection on an exalted image of national identity.