John Coplans - Research

When addressing the final photography assignment in photography I, I was interested in the body, the way it moves and the various shapes it has. I was also interested in showing closeups of part on the body that are often critiqued by media. In relation to this idea, David Miller presented to me John Coplans’ work which is most well known for his piece on the aging male body. Frieze, No.2, Four Panels showcases four panels that contain three images each of his aging body from just above elbow height to just under his knees. 

John Coplans, Frieze, No.2, Four Panels, 1994
Source: https://whitney.org/collection/works/12907

The idea behind this piece was to address the taboos that are often present when discussing aging. The goal is not to identify him as the subject, but rather to observe how the body changes in a way that doesn’t further engage with current North American ideals of youth and beauty. In his works he presents the body as a textured and imperfect surface, which directly relates to some of my goals in tackling assignment 7.

More sources that I explored on John Coplans:

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/coplans-self-portrait-torso-front-p11672

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Coplans