Art Nudes

DISCUSSION POINT

I'm going to try introducing "Discussion Point" as a new, irregular feature on this blog. It's great when a post causes a flood of comments and opinions, so periodically I'll post an opinion or question and throw it out to all of you for your two cents. I know there is a least one of you (yes, I'm talking about you Eric) that thrive on this stuff, so we'll see how it goes.

Our first Discussion Point is a doozy. I recently received an email informing me I'd overlooked posting the work of David Hamilton. In fact, I hadn't overlooked it, I've just deliberatly choosen not to post it. However, that got me thinking about the issues around Hamilton, Jock Sturges and Sally Mann and why I don't post them here. (WARNING: A Google image search for any of these photographers will return photos with underage models).

Sally Mann, Jock Sturges and David Hamilton all use young models and have been soundly criticized and vilified for it. Personally, I think Mann's and Sturges' work has artistic merit, whereas Hamilton is all about titillation. I also just plain don't like the look of Hamilton's photos. They've got a very dated 1970's Penthouse feel that just adds to their overall lack of appeal.

If you are not familiar with him, here's a brief (and unillustrated) biography

What do you think about these photographers and Hamilton in particular?