BOOK:Mapplethorpe Flora, The Complete Flowers

Robert Mapplethorpe was given his first Polaroid camera in 1971 and learned about light and exposure by photographing flowers, taking pictures of arrangements in his New York loft or making studies in the homes of friends. He was well grounded in the history of flowers in painting and his carefully constructed compositions transformed the perception of a classic and familiar subject. Published by Phaidon Publications, “Mapplethorpe Flora: The Complete Flowers” is the artist’s definitive collection of flower photographs. The book collects almost 300 of Mapplethorpe’s photographic work and demonstrates his passion for the subject matter. Until his death in 1989, Mapplethorpe explored the flower with extraordinary dedication, using a range of photographic processes, from Polaroids to dye-transfer color works. The result is a stunning body of work. In carefully constructed compositions, he captured roses, orchids, snapdragons, daisies, tulips and other species. Setting them in a universe apart, their poses are classical, reduced to a series of essential forms. Their compositions are profoundly simple but mask a complex dynamic. Each one is evocative, and almost always sexually charged. When photographed by Mapplethorpe, these delicate organisms become almost muscular in their raw power.-Efi Michalarou