Robert Mapplethorpe

This photographer really caught my eye in class because he decided to stretch the norm of his time. Born in Florida Park, Queens he even says that he "came from suburban America. It was a very safe environment and it was a good place to come from in that it was a good place to leave." This to me is interesting because I didn't really see that much shelter or poise in his work, that he doesn't really incorporate his growing up into his work, although with some of his works I do see a sense of elegance. I also read about him that he began at the Pratt Institute studying painting, drawing and sculpture, but when he got his first polaroid in 1970 he felt it was more honest than the other medias. I found this interesting because I never thought of that, I have always enjoyed drawings more than photography because I feel that you can get to know a person more by their drawing, the way they do their mark makings or abstract or even the way they can create something that only they see. Although that is how I feel, I appreciate his point of view, it really makes me think of why he feels this way.

From what I saw of his work, these were some of my favorites! They really draw me in and have so much emotion in them that I would love to learn how to incorporate in my own photographs.