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Cocks and Flowers - Los Angeles Review of Books
On Robert Mapplethorpe: His work can seem prurient on first viewing, but when placed inside a frame and shown in a gallery, it somehow places greater emphasis on other factors, e.g.communication, articulation of ideas, the artist's life, technique, craftsmanship, etc. A huge penis hanging out of a pair of trousers may be titillating for some, but to appreciate the artist's expertise in creating the work (selection of materials, types of composition, lighting, focus of inspiration, etc.) is to reclassify the work as art rather than cheap pornography. (6/1990)
On Robert Mapplethorpe: His work can seem prurient on first viewing, but when placed inside a frame and shown in a gallery, it somehow places greater emphasis on other factors, e.g.
