Post III: An Exposition

These three posts were inspired by Collier Schorr's portraits. I found these on Monday in Vitamin Ph: New Perspectives in Photography. I think what unifies these posts, and more specifically, these artists, is that both trade in adolescent (or pre-adolescent) sexuality. Each artist communicates to the viewer a truth that is often lost in our culture today; each seems to understand that the erotic qualities of the human form are the product of an evolution, rather than a single and stunning metamorphosis. We are inclined, particularly in American society, to treat sexuality as a rigidly structured phenomenon; an idea reinforced by the legal system. This is not to condemn those measures that maintain order, but instead to see the photographer's work as a valid reminder of the more nebulous element of human sexuality.

It is interesting to note, however, that although both artists illustrate the same perception, they render this truth very differently. Collier Schorr seems unsure of her relationship to the subject; Sarah Thornton writes that "one of the most puzzling aspects of Schorr's oeuvre is her gaze. Often mistaken for that of a gay man, the androgyny of her adolescent subjects is matched by the sexual uncertainty of her loving eye. Her perspective defies easy categorization even though her sitters look straight into the camera, locked in an exchange that is curiously intense. Schorr gives us a clue to this amorous dynamic when she quips, 'Taking pictures is the most sincere form of promiscuity'."
It seems then, that the "promiscuous" quality of the photos is a translation of Schorr's own interest.


In contrast, Jock Sturges approaches this sexuality more frankly. His artistic choices tend towards the minimalistic, and the result is an honest, almost grave representation of these young girls. He is adamant that he captures the dignity of these subjects; although he has often been charged as voyeuristic, even pornographic, he leaves the question of sexuality almost entirely in the mind of the viewer, and our own perception of the naked human form.