Troubled Waters.
William Eggleston's colour photographs pinpoint the moment when colour photography began to be generally accepted as part of the language of art photography. Adopting processes previously used to manipulate advertising images, Eggleston set the precedent for colour documentary and art photography of the last twenty years. Eggleston finds in places such as shopping centres and ordinary interiors, "the uncommonness of the commonplace", as photographer Raymond Moore described it. Inspired by the beauty of family snapshots, Eggleston looks at the everyday and the overlooked in order to reveal them as remarkable.
Eggleston photographs everyday items that don’t command attention in the everyday. He did most of his work between the sixties and the eighties, primarily in the Deep South, where he was born. It was there that he developed his focus on Americana, though Americana that has more to do with Biblical Gomorrah than Bible Belt Memphis. None of Eggleston’s work is gratuitous. He never goes for shock or a violent impression, even when photographing ostensibly shocking material. Instead, his art is in capturing the horrifying stillness of the mundane. It’s like Eggleston’s camera draws the ghosts from whatever objects comes within its frame.
This series of images includes a variety of portrait and landscape, using landscape for buildings and signs and portrait for clothing. I think Eggleston uses landscape to portray a impersonal image, such as a street sign or large building. He uses portrait to give a much more personal view, such as the image of a woman's dress that appears old and worn. This sets a story for the image.
As the images were taken between the sixties and eighties, the photographs are taken using a film camera. This gives the images a hazy, almost red tint. As this is the effect given to the images, they can be read as soft and dream-like and with a positive attitude.
The images in this series are all similar in message and content and contain three repetitive colours; Blue, white and brown.
I think the images are extremely successful in telling there story and also allows your imagination to create a background and reason for each photograph.
Although each image is similar in style, they do not have a sequenced order. I think this is a disadvantage and if able to change, could be improved on. This project was made for the book portfolio 'Troubled Water's' which included 15 dye transfer prints and was published in 1980.
Bibliography
http://www.egglestontrust.com
Portfolio: Troubled waters
http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/photography/photographerframe.php?photographerid=ph020
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