“To be an artist was to see what others could not”. Patti Smith originally made this statement in her book “Just Kids”, but I feel it reminds me more of Robert Mapplethorpe’s work, than Patti’s own. Upon looking though pictures of Robert Mapplethorpe’s art it was clear  that he was greatly inspired by human anatomy, male and female both, but notably male anatomy. These paintings, to the average person may just seem like a bunch of sexual imagry, but I feel that they are far greater than the anatomy they depict. I feel they represent Mapplethorpe’s transformation of being. I feel they represent the way he viewed himself, and the way he viewed people and the environment around him. Mapplethorpe’s work was nothing short of a transformation of art itself, because it explored a form of art that was generally viewed as vulgar at the time, even sinful. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Mapplethorpe’s work was that it defied social norms of gender roles. For example in some paintings Mapplethorpe depiction of himself is rather feminine.

In this portrait Robert looks as though he has lipstick on and even a little eyeliner.

In other portraits of both himself and Patti, Patti seems to look more masculine than he does.

In this one Patti’s hair is all over the place, while Robert’s seems relatively neat and brushed to the sides.

And still in others Mapplethorpe defies what it meant to be and act “manly”. In the following image, two men are presumably doing the waltz or some form of dance. Both are unclothed.