"I see things like they've never been seen before. Art is an accurate statement of the time in which it is made. "
Robert Mapplethorpe

I became interested in Robert Mapplethorpe's body of work in 1987 when beginning to study photography. At this point in my development I was focused on learning about different styles and techniques and looked to accomplished masters of photography for inspiration. Mapplethorpe's photography displayed an emphasis on formal beauty. He concentrated on statuesque male and female nudes, delicate flower still lifes, and formal portraits of artists and celebrities.

I went to the Delaware Art Museum to see one of his shows and was truly inspired to see the works in person. It is quite a different experience than viewing them from a book. Mapplethorpe had a remarkable ability to reveal the inner spirit of his subjects.

In addition, I liked the fact that his works were controversial. Personally, I don't care for many of his images that depict sadistic and masochistic acts. However I don't agree with sensorship or the moral majority deciding for the rest of the world what constitutes art.

I think Deborah Levinson said it best:

"The Perfect Moment is exactly that: a study of the point where sex merges with sensuality, eroticism merges with the edges of pornography, fear of the camera merges with revelation of the inner self. Simply put, it is an extraordinary collection of work by an extraordinary man."
Robert Mapplethorpe's Extraordinary Vision