robert mapplethorpe

Robert Mapplethorpe on Writing

“I don’t know why my pictures come out looking so good. I just don’t get it.”

“I just want to be written about as a normal artist.”

“I recorded that because it happened to me. I wasn’t making a point.”

“I don’t think any collector knows his true motivation.”

“I played around with the flowers and the lighting, so that was a good way to educate myself.”

“I wish I could be elegant.”

“I’m not a photojournalist.”

“If I am at a party, I want to be at the party. Too many photographers use the camera to avoid participating in things. They become professional observers.”

“My lifestyle is bizarre, but the only thing you need to know is where the darkroom is.”

“One must ease the public into it – that’s an art in itself.”

“The more pictures you see, the better you are as a photographer.”

“The photographs that are art have to be separated from the rest – then preserved.”

“To make pictures big is to make them more powerful.”

“Whenever you make love to someone, there should be three people involved – you, the other person, and the devil.”

“With photography, you zero in; you put a lot of energy into short moments, and then you go on to the next thing.”

Craft Notes / 10 Comments
August 17th, 2011 / 1:56 pm