Jock Sturges: Misty Dawn: Portrait of a Muse Hardcover – October 1, 2008

A remarkable testimonial of emergence and the blossoming of human potential shorn of shame. Misty Dawn is a revelation in this pastoral oasis secreted from the swarming torments of shame and duplicity that roil in the urban tableau, no matter how clothed and cloaked those suited up wish to be.Her gaze is direct and uncomplicated -- always at ease though sometimes intense. She evinces perfect settled habitation in her own skin while dreaming the dreams of adolescence, unfearful of what awaits on the cusp of responsibility. The only evidence of guise are the whimsical costumes sometimes donned to express a mood or a unique stance of a moment or a day.Her nakedness throughout an extraordinary life stands as principled rebuke against worldly taint, engendering our compassion and longing to protect this precious enclave where love and comfort and familial embrace hold sway and frame long languid days in the sun or by the river.How we can admire these enlightened families and this community for shielding these young from the corrosive "morality" of a venal or indifferent larger society-- furtive maneuverings and schemings are shed in harmony with a glorious habitat, at once one with and part of nature.Perhaps not a classical beauty, Misty Dawn is nevertheless conspicuously gorgeous in her penetrating self-possession -- at home in this world and her body. This is a rare document of a parallel reality where harm and exploitation are denied entry, humans are free to know and be themselves.

I have structured my response in the most honest way I possibly can - not concerning myself with what the left or the right thinks, the religious or the non-religious would have us believe, or what many of those in the "justice" system would seek to pervert and crucify for.I have found that the more I study Jock's images of young girls, several things start to become apparent to me. First, by the mere presentation of these adolescents in predominately B&W format, and obviously not posed in some provocative fashion, immediately dismisses them from being pornographic in any way whatsoever. Any person of reason would have to readily admit that. His images force us to become comfortable in our own skin.Some of the images can be erotic initially, (and I suppose to a certain element, very erotic) but only because of the culture in which we Americans were raised - that all people nude are perversions, and it is taboo for us to view them. But we all know that anything "taboo," or "off-limits" will only spark interest, not denial!Little time passes before any initial reactions wear off however, and we begin to see inside these creatures - their innocence, their purity, their shining spirits - not yet tainted by the outside world and all of it's inequities and cancers.I think that a review by "People Magazine" says it best: "...Sturges's people are grave, well-formed, and poetic. Best to think of his world as an inviting fiction: one photographer's Eden, where a little knowledge doesn't get you expelled from the garden[!]"I sense that Jock's work gives us just a splinter of insight into the world that God intended ours to be... beautiful, peaceful, graceful, innocent, respectful, loving, forgiving, sensual, lasting, one of pure light.If I were a female - like Misty Dawn - for example, I am quite sure that I would be most thankful and proud to be able to present such a wonderful chronicle of my life, and representation of my infinity, to my children one day, and to theirs, and on and on. What a beautiful, and priceless gift to be able to pass on.And, what a beautiful expose for the rest of us to enjoy along with her!

Some of the images are breathtakingly beautiful and the quality of the reproductions and binding is excellent. I don't know of anything like this monumental work in the history of art or photography. It deserves to become a landmark and model for future photographers.The model was a blue-eyed, blond-haired child who often appears magical. Although most famous for the nude portraits, some of the best are when her body is covered. The poses tend to be static, conveying a feeling of summer fatigue or a quiet rather than active child. I don't like the distorted perspective (elongated limbs and even enlarged facial features) in a few of the portraits, but many observers may not mind or even like that effect (apparently due to using a normal lens on a big camera close-up).Nudity is a celebration of the whole body, and why not celebrate its growth and transformations in youth? The male has more external features to see, but the sudden appearance and relatively fast development of the female breast is a remarkable event to contemplate and witness. Now an adult, the model should write an autobiography describing her thoughts and experiences posing nude throughout her childhood. I think the information might be of even more value than the images. (The brief interview of Sally Mann's daughter and child model, Jessie, published in Aperture magazine was a step in that direction.) I also recommend the photographer's previous books, which contain more text.A traditional mother recently told me that her two children used to look through the keyhole of the bathroom door to get a glimpse of each other naked. That may be (statistically) normal, but is it healthy? A naturist child like Misty Dawn would probably consider such behavior very strange if not ridiculous. Prohibitions against nudity in childhood promote rather than prevent sexual problems.How fortunate we are to live in the West where we can enjoy books like this (despite the efforts of religious fanatics and other advocates of moral panic and mass hysteria who want to bring back the Inquisition) - thanks, in part, to the legal battles Jock Sturges has fought for all of us.- Frank Adamo, author of "Girl Becomes Woman."