Jock Sturges: Notes

This is a beautiful little volume that features color portraits and preliminary studies alongside the wise, even brilliant observations of a most important photographer. His work, while always aesthetically sumptuous, exerts, without necessarily intending to, ineluctable commentary on a culture of shame, censorship, and perhaps the seminal component of societal dissembling and duplicity – repression of truth about the human body. How did we get here? Does this all evolve from “knowledge of good and evil”? I am not equipped to trace the lineage but do know that much actual evil can be tracked to an apparent contempt for our own bodies, this essential vessel of our humanity – without which our existence would be unrecognized. The tendrils of this contempt radiate as an entangling malignancy and acts as central embedded underpinning of false construct in many human societies. Sturges himself addresses this very concept in the following paragraph from the book. It is the most cogent direct insight on the subject I think I’ve yet encountered, encapsulating a truth one comes to almost instantly and certainly in any overview and appreciation of his oeuvre: “Naturists know that there is nothing shameful about the body – that it is by hiding our bodies from each other that we create perverse interest. Cultures that do away with these concealments suffer less social pathology. The vast sea of sexy, provocative photography with which we are bombarded daily invariably involves models/actors/performers/celebrities dressed in skimpy clothing and innuendo. Such visual tactics goad the imagination into lascivious exercise, an aesthetic callisthenic that is completely obviated by the simple fact of nudity.” NOTES Jock Sturges

Jock Sturges is well known in photography and legal circles. His pictures of mostly young women have netted him praise and legal action. In this book, he explains how and why he makes these pictures. There are also comments from some of his subjects, many of whom have posed for him numerous times over the years. They uniformly seem to have been benefitted from the experience, and Mr. Sturges shares his beliefs about the nature of photographing people in the nude. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, your reaction will certainly depend upon your own beliefs about what is appropriate subject matter for general publication. Mr. Sturges makes most of his pictures in France,(and some in the rural 'hippie' communes of Northern California) and, as was pointed out in the play 'My Fair Lady' the French don't care what they do, as long as they pronounce it properly. However, don't expect to see typical 'glamour' photography here. These pictures are set in peoples actual living spaces. There is beauty to be found here, but it is closer to reality than any fantasy dreamed up for sexual purposes. These are pictures that will make you think. So, is this art? As some judge said, I know it when I see it.

For those who are simply wanting a collection of large Sturges photographs, this will not fill the bill. For those who are interested in Jock Sturges, the person, and some background on his models this is the one to get. You get some background into his process and how he goes about his work. There is a collection of Polaroid shots he uses in formulating his approach to the picture. You are then treated to a wonderful selection of B&W images, most taken in 2003 with a few from 2000 and 2001. Several of the pictures have comments by the model. For several of his models, there is an update of their lives as they were photographed as they grew older. There is reference to the sheer work involved in processing and printing his photographs, but I felt it was greatly understated; dealing with an 8 x 10 negative format camera and film is not a trivial task, but the results are fantastic. Nor is getting the lighting just right on the beaches easy, but the use of light and shadow in his prints shows he makes it look easy. The latter part of the book touches upon his newer work in fashion photography. Misty Dawn nee Johnson has quite a few pages to express her thoughts on her long association with Jock. The dimensions of the book are not large, but it is put out by Aperture, which stands for high quality in printing works of photography.

Jock Sturges will probably stand as one of the great photographers of the 20th and 21st centuries....someday. His work with the friends and strangers who populate summer beaches and cottages where clothing is optional, year after year, testifies to his respect for his subjects and his affirming humanity. In current American culture, where hypersexuality is the marketing tool of choice, and merchants exploit every normal insecurity about appearance to sell endless crap to yearning multitudes, Sturges's pictures show us how beautiful we are, in all our shapes, sizes and ages, in nothing but the skin we are born with. As a photographer, I am amazed at Sturges's ability to convince people to simply offer themselves up to his visual instincts. He returns to the same venues again and again, and becomes part of the places himself, rather than an intruder, and the people in his photographs see the work that results. Seeing themselves as he sees them, they appear to trust him completely. He steals no souls, but rather, affirms the conviction that we have souls in the first place. When asked to suggest a present for my own 16 year old daughter, a young woman with endless interests and curiosity, including photography, I could think of no better work to show her at this point in her life.

Well this is a bit underwhelming. After all the scandals and reviews praising this artist the work seems very mundane and frankly uninspiring. After a second look I find the cover photo is the best picture in this book. This is photos of people the artist apparently knows, but the camera does not love the subjects and the often sullen or negative emotion expressed by the subjects suggests he is not popular with all of them. I need to get another of his works to see if this is an aberration or the norm as this is only a limited collection and narrow in scope. There is a feeling in this small collection of images of the loss and sadness of the end of the day perhaps the end of summer and perhaps that negativity infects the feel of the book. As for the controversial reputation of the artist, there is nothing here that should offend anyone without issues with natural nudity. Certainly there is nothing sexual or exploitative in the pictures of models and groups of models of varying ages sometimes clothed sometimes not. I would say this is a chronicle of moments in some peoples lives, not the nicest people, and not their best moments, and the use of black and white feels limiting here, where the addition of color would make the work less arty and more interesting. You don't know the subjects and you don't get to know them through the photos. The book is A4 size but many images are smaller and there are blank pages and wasted space everywhere. Many ordinary people I know take better pictures, with better composition and definitely with a love for their subjects and I don't feel this was worthy of Jock Sturges reputation.

I'd read a number of articles about Sturges over the years due to my more-than-passing interest in photography; especially portraiture. When I bought this I wanted to have my own proof of what all the fuss was about. When I cracked this paper-back open I could see, in my own hands, that the pictures were intimate, but they are very far removed from pornography. What makes Sturges unsettling is that he captured young people at a time which is very confusing and, in turn, it's confusing for the viewer. The subjects are not quite adult, but they're not children any more, either. At the end of the day, these are mostly just bodies in transition and I would like to point out that they are NOT all nude. Many, perhaps half of the subjects are clothed. Adolescence is the focus, not nude bodies.

Another book of fine pictures by this wonderful photographer. Some of his subjects are nude, some partly so, and some clothed, but all are beautifully-taken, and not suggestive in any way. Another book I would not hesitate to recommend to those who appreciate fine photography.

For the first time in a book, Jock gives an in depth behind the scenes look at how he performs his work. Included are notes from several of the models/Naturists talking about their experience as his models, including Misty Dawn. The color polaroids in the book present the human side of the characteristic Sturges photos which, while stunning, can be a bit stark. I also recommend that fans of his work view the Naturist DVDs Amazon has like: "Castle Naturism" and "4th of July". These types of works may not be possible in the future. Camera equipment is no longer allowed on the beaches in Montalivet, the Southern French town in which Sturges photographs.