Jock Sturges: Notes
from Aperture
Radiant Identities
from Aperture
Aperture's 1991 publication of Sturges's first book, The Last Day of Summer, came shortly after the FBI's much-publicized raid on his home in California, the confiscation of thousands of his images--deemed "pornographic"--and the subsequent rejection of the case by a federal grand jury. Now in its fifth printing, The Last Day of Summer has outlived and transcended that ordeal, drawing both critical and popular acclaim throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, and bringnig Sturges well-deserved artistic recognition.
Radiant Identities is the second volume in Sturges's ongoing work. Physically and psychically revealing, these deeply felt images are glorioiusly natural and wonderfully compelling.
Elizabeth Beverly's introductory essay, drawn in part from conversations with Sturges's subjects, adds a new dimension to the photogarphs. These personal reflections shed light on the unique collaborative process by which Sturges's remarkable photographs are made.
In the book's afterward, noted photography critic A.D. Coleman places Sturges in the context of current debates surrounding censorship in the arts, and discusses the themes of innocence and sexuality in the photographs.
The Last Day of Summer: Photographs by Jock Sturges
from Aperture
Whether photographing on naturist beaches in the south of France, in the communes of northern California, or in the affluent, East Coast summer resort of Block Island, Jock Sturges is at home with his subjects. Many of them are families with whom he has deep ties and whom he photographs as they are, clothed or nude, revealing the iconography of family affection. Each summer Sturges returns to visit the friends whose uninhibited grace, warmth, and beauty he so lyrically captures. He is now making pictures of girls and boys whose parents he first photographed as children.
In 1990 the Federal Bureau of Investigation entered Jock Sturges's San Francisco studio and seized his work, implying violation of child pornography laws. Citizens, artists, and the media responded with outrage. With The Last Day of Summer, Aperture accords to Jock Sturges's humane and lovely vision the dignity and respect it so richly deserves.
Jock Sturges: New Work, 1996-2000
from Scalo Publishers
Jock Sturges
from Distributed Art Pub Inc (Dap)
This is the first comprehensive publication on American photographer Jock Sturges (b.1947) compiled by the artist himself. It is nothing less than an ode to beauty. For more than 20 years, he has been taking photographs of girls growing up, both in his native California and at a nudist resort on the Atlantic coast of France. Nudity in Sturges' work has never been a cheap or tawdry gimmick, rather it is shown as human being's natural state. His photographs are an expression of the trust he has established over the years with the girls and their families. Calmly and almost casually, Sturges observes the aging process of his models. His striking long-term studies chart barely perceptible changes in their appearance, the slow maturing of the female body. Sturges preserves transient states that will never return; graceful forms that time will eventually extinguish. A sweet melancholia pervades Sturges' images as he knows that beauty is not an everlasting state-but a brief moment in time whose essence we should cherish.
Last Day of Summer, The Photographs by Jock Sturges
Radiant Identities: Photographs by Jock Sturges
Graphis Nudes: Issue No. 1
Now in paperback--an elegant collection which showcases a diverse range of styles in nude photography, representing some of the world's most respected photographers. Contributors include Herb Ritts, Robert Farber, Robert Mapplethorpe, Shintaro Shiratori, and others. Over 200 photos.
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