Today I finished Patti Smiths book "Just Kids" in which she describes her relationship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe. Their lovestory took off in NY in 1967 and transcended into a friendship which lasted till Mapplethorpes death in 1989.
She is an enourmously talented arist and performer, who earned her fame for "Because the Night" which is spinning round in my head right now. Robert Mapplethorpes work which was said to be pornographic and over-done but it actually described his unique personality. He didn´t create installations which showed men sticking whips into each others anuses because he wanted to get attention, but because he sort of had to do it.
The book is a perfect read for every young, creative person, who wants to get to know two iconic artists. I finished it in three days and I guess it will stay with me way longer.
To be honest, I´ve never been a very artsy person - I just couldn´t grasp the artist´s ideas and always felt ashamed of my lack of interest on this topic. But since I read "Just Kids" I sort of began to interest in art. I loved photography way longer, but now I really cherish the photographers work, because I begin to look behind a picture.
One of my favourite photos Mapplethorpe has ever done is the one below. It shows a half naked woman, but it still looks elegant and tasteful.
The books creativity (Smith is not only a singer, she also draws beautifully and writes very strong poems) sort of got me into the mood for doing my own thing with more courage and ambition - so maybe I´ll post a bit of my work one day...
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