WIlliam Eggleston

William Eggleston is a well-known fine art photographer, famed for his complex and colourful photographs of southern towns in America. These two series of his photographs, named ‘Chromes’ (1969-74) and ‘Election Eve’ (1976) are displayed in the ‘Energy and Processes’ exhibition in the Tate Modern (curated by Simon Baker and Shoair Mavlian). They mainly focus on everyday life in small southern county towns, particularly his home town of Memphis, Tennessee (‘Chromes’) but also in Plains County and Sumter County, Georgia (‘Election Eve’). ‘Although these images record a particular place at a certain point in time, Eggleston is not interested in their documentary qualities. Instead, asked what he is photographing Eggleston simply answers ‘Life today’.’  (Aitken, 2013, www.tate.org.uk).

The immediate reaction to this exhibition is the striking and bold colours that draws the audience in, this is a printing process called dye transfer which is what promotes the bright reds and greens. All of Eggleston’s photographs vary slightly from image to image, he uses landscapes, close ups and portraiture in his work this helps to keep the audience interested throughout the entire exhibition. The photographs are laid out well around the room in chronological order, the curators have used a simplistic and minimalistic design which helps to remind the viewer of the period that the photographs were taken in; a time of ‘high tension and anxiety on the national stage’ (Aitken, 2013, www.tate.org.uk). Each series dominates two of the walls of the room, this gives a reflective feel to the room. The audience is able to enjoy and appreciate the quality of the photographs in this exhibit without needing any previous knowledge of either the subject or aspects of photography because of the sharp focus and striking bright colours of the images. Both series include the ‘charismatic elements’ of Eggleston’s style such as the positioning, lines, reflections or lighting. These make the photographs much more striking and give each image a different point of interest that draws the viewer in.

Figure 1, ‘Election Eve’ Eggleston

Bibliography

Websites

Aitken, Doug. (2013) William Eggleston. [online] London. Tate Modern. Avaliable at: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-moderndisplay/william-eggleston.htm (Accessed 7/10/13)

Glover, Michael. (2013) Genisus in colour: Why William Eggleston is the world’s greatest photographer. [online] London. The Independent. Avaliable at: http://www.independent.co.uk/rta-entertainment/art/features/genius-in-colour-why-william-eggleston-is-the-worlds-greatist-photographer8577202.html (Accessed 7/10/13)

Images

Figure 1, ‘Election Eve’. Eggleston, William (Tate, 2013, Energy and Process)