His stunning images of yogis practicing asana have an immediacy, an aliveness to them that summons the potency of the life force, the shimmering field
of shakti (energy) animating all things. That he does all his shoots outdoors, usually in gorgeous surroundings, adds to the sense of his art as a dance with
shakti.
Many of his most striking portraits are shot at the ocean and hint at a majesty that goes beyond the moment. There’s a transcendence, a promise
of the infinite. Philosophers and sages throughout the ages have counseled us that beauty and truth lie in what is eternal and that true happiness is to be
found in loving that which is permanent and transcends the particular. And it’s this gesture beyond the particular towards that which is
timeless that elevates Sturman’s photography to the status of great art.
A dedicated yoga practitioner himself, Sturman’s work has increasingly
focused on capturing the timeless grace and embodied mindfulness of asana. His portraits… remind us that there is beauty
everywhere. In Sturman’s own words “I often think of Rumi: ‘I can’t stop pointing to the beauty.’ That feels right to me.”
Intoxicated With Beauty—Portrait of an Artist’s Soul, Dearbhla Kelly. www.robertsturmanstudio.com
