| William Eggleston | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 27, 1939 Memphis, Tennessee |
| Nationality | American |
| Field | Photography |
| Influenced | Juergen Teller, Andreas Gursky,Sofia Coppola, Gus van Sant,David Lynch |
I have been looking at the work of William Eggleston, I found the information that I have read about him from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Eggleston and have posted it below.
I was interested on how Eggleston viewed the Henri Cartier-Bresson book the decisive moment as a great book once he had understood it and it sank in.
I was interested on how Eggleston viewed the Henri Cartier-Bresson book the decisive moment as a great book once he had understood it and it sank in.
I tried looking for the book and found it on amazon for between £355 - £1500 more than I expected, but I have made
a note to look at the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson at a later date. I found Eggleston to be 40th in a list of the
most influential photographers published by professional photographer they stated that Eggleston"s use of intense
colour uneasy composition and disconcerting subject matter brought him to prominence and gained acceptance
for colour photography as art. from a personal point of view I found that the work of Eggleston is not a style
of photography that I enjoy viewing as I like pictures with an arty feel to them and I found this quote:
very apt The American artist Edward Ruscha said of Eggleston's work, "When you see a picture he’s taken,
you’re stepping into some kind of jagged world that seems like Eggleston Worl[1]
William Eggleston (born July 27, 1939), is an American photographer. He is widely credited with increasing recognition
for color photography as a legitimate artistic medium to display in art galleries.
for color photography as a legitimate artistic medium to display in art galleries.
William Eggleston was born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in Sumner, Mississippi. His father was an
engineer and his mother was the daughter of a prominent local judge. As a boy, Eggleston was introverted;
he enjoyed playing the piano, drawing, and working with electronics. From an early age, he was also drawn to
visual media, and reportedly enjoyed buying postcards and cutting out pictures from magazines.
engineer and his mother was the daughter of a prominent local judge. As a boy, Eggleston was introverted;
he enjoyed playing the piano, drawing, and working with electronics. From an early age, he was also drawn to
visual media, and reportedly enjoyed buying postcards and cutting out pictures from magazines.
At the age of 15, Eggleston was sent to the Webb School, a boarding establishment. Eggleston later recalled few
fond memories of the school, telling a reporter, "It had a kind of Spartan routine to 'build character'. I never knew
what that was supposed to mean. It was so callous and dumb. It was the kind of place where it was considered
effeminate to like music and painting." Eggleston was unusual among his peers in eschewing the traditional
Southern male pursuits of hunting and sports, in favor of artistic pursuits and observation of the world.
Nevertheless, Eggleston noted that he never felt like an outsider. "I never had the feeling that I didn't fit in,"
he told a reporter, "But probably I didn't."[1]
fond memories of the school, telling a reporter, "It had a kind of Spartan routine to 'build character'. I never knew
what that was supposed to mean. It was so callous and dumb. It was the kind of place where it was considered
effeminate to like music and painting." Eggleston was unusual among his peers in eschewing the traditional
Southern male pursuits of hunting and sports, in favor of artistic pursuits and observation of the world.
Nevertheless, Eggleston noted that he never felt like an outsider. "I never had the feeling that I didn't fit in,"
he told a reporter, "But probably I didn't."[1]
Eggleston attended Vanderbilt University for a year, Delta State College for a semester, and the
University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) for about five years, none of these experiences resulting in a college degree.
However, it was during these university years that his interest in photography took root: a friend at Vanderbilt
gave Eggleston a Leica camera. Eggleston studied art at Ole Miss and was introduced to abstract expressionism
by visiting painter, Tom Young.
University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) for about five years, none of these experiences resulting in a college degree.
However, it was during these university years that his interest in photography took root: a friend at Vanderbilt
gave Eggleston a Leica camera. Eggleston studied art at Ole Miss and was introduced to abstract expressionism
by visiting painter, Tom Young.
[edit]Artistic development
Eggleston's early photographic efforts were inspired by the work of Swiss-born photographer Robert Frank,
and by French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson's book, The Decisive Moment.Eggleston later recalled that the
book was "the first serious book I found, from many awful books...I didn't understand it a bit, and then it sank in,
and I realized, my God, this is a great one.”[1]First photographing in black-and-white, Eggleston began
experimenting with color in 1965 and 1966 after being introduced to the medium by William Christenberry.
Color transparency film became his dominant medium in the later 1960s. Eggleston's development as a
photographer seems to have taken place in relative isolation from other artists. In an interview, John Szarkowski
of New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) describes his first, 1969 encounter with the young Eggleston as
being "absolutely out of the blue". After reviewing Eggleston's work (which he recalled as a suitcase full
of "drugstore" color prints) Szarkowski prevailed upon the Photography Committee of MoMA to buy one of
Eggleston's photographs.
and by French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson's book, The Decisive Moment.Eggleston later recalled that the
book was "the first serious book I found, from many awful books...I didn't understand it a bit, and then it sank in,
and I realized, my God, this is a great one.”[1]First photographing in black-and-white, Eggleston began
experimenting with color in 1965 and 1966 after being introduced to the medium by William Christenberry.
Color transparency film became his dominant medium in the later 1960s. Eggleston's development as a
photographer seems to have taken place in relative isolation from other artists. In an interview, John Szarkowski
of New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) describes his first, 1969 encounter with the young Eggleston as
being "absolutely out of the blue". After reviewing Eggleston's work (which he recalled as a suitcase full
of "drugstore" color prints) Szarkowski prevailed upon the Photography Committee of MoMA to buy one of
Eggleston's photographs.
In 1970, Eggleston's friend William Christenberry introduced him to Walter Hopps, director of Washington,
D.C.'s Corcoran Gallery. Hopps later reported being "stunned" by Eggleston's work: "I had never seen
anything like it."
D.C.'s Corcoran Gallery. Hopps later reported being "stunned" by Eggleston's work: "I had never seen
anything like it."
Eggleston taught at Harvard in 1973 and 1974, and it was during these years that he discovered
dye-transfer printing; he was examining the price list of a photographic lab in Chicago when he read about the
process. As Eggleston later recalled: "It advertised 'from the cheapest to the ultimate print.' The ultimate print was
a dye-transfer. I went straight up there to look and everything I saw was commercial work like pictures of cigarette
packs or perfume bottles but the colour saturation and the quality of the ink was overwhelming. I couldn't wait to
see what a plain Eggleston picture would look like with the same process. Every photograph I subsequently
printed with the process seemed fantastic and each one seemed better than the previous one." The dye-transfer
process resulted in some of Eggleston's most striking and famous work, such as his 1973 photograph entitled
The Red Ceiling, of which Eggleston said, "The Red Ceiling is so powerful, that in fact I've never seen it
reproduced on the page to my satisfaction. When you look at the dye it is like red blood that's wet on the wall....
A little red is usually enough, but to work with an entire red surface was a challenge."
dye-transfer printing; he was examining the price list of a photographic lab in Chicago when he read about the
process. As Eggleston later recalled: "It advertised 'from the cheapest to the ultimate print.' The ultimate print was
a dye-transfer. I went straight up there to look and everything I saw was commercial work like pictures of cigarette
packs or perfume bottles but the colour saturation and the quality of the ink was overwhelming. I couldn't wait to
see what a plain Eggleston picture would look like with the same process. Every photograph I subsequently
printed with the process seemed fantastic and each one seemed better than the previous one." The dye-transfer
process resulted in some of Eggleston's most striking and famous work, such as his 1973 photograph entitled
The Red Ceiling, of which Eggleston said, "The Red Ceiling is so powerful, that in fact I've never seen it
reproduced on the page to my satisfaction. When you look at the dye it is like red blood that's wet on the wall....
A little red is usually enough, but to work with an entire red surface was a challenge."
At Harvard, Eggleston prepared his first portfolio, entitled 14 Pictures (1974). Eggleston's work was featured in an
exhibition at MoMA in 1976. The MoMA show is regarded as a watershed moment in the history of photography,
by marking "the acceptance of colour photography by the highest validating institution" (in the words of
Mark Holborn).
exhibition at MoMA in 1976. The MoMA show is regarded as a watershed moment in the history of photography,
by marking "the acceptance of colour photography by the highest validating institution" (in the words of
Mark Holborn).
Around the time of his 1976 MoMA exhibition, Eggleston was introduced to Viva, the Andy Warhol "superstar",
with whom he began a long relationship. During this period Eggleston became familiar with Andy Warhol's circle,
a connection that may have helped foster Eggleston's idea of the "democratic camera", Mark Holborn suggests.
Also in the 1970s Eggleston experimented with video, producing several hours of roughly edited footage Eggleston
calls Stranded in Canton. Writer Richard Woodward, who has viewed the footage, likens it to a "demented home
movie", mixing tender shots of his children at home with shots of drunken parties, public urination and a man
biting off a chicken's head before a cheering crowd in New Orleans. Woodward suggests that the film is reflective
of Eggleston's "fearless naturalism—a belief that by looking patiently at what others ignore or look away from,
interesting things can be seen."
with whom he began a long relationship. During this period Eggleston became familiar with Andy Warhol's circle,
a connection that may have helped foster Eggleston's idea of the "democratic camera", Mark Holborn suggests.
Also in the 1970s Eggleston experimented with video, producing several hours of roughly edited footage Eggleston
calls Stranded in Canton. Writer Richard Woodward, who has viewed the footage, likens it to a "demented home
movie", mixing tender shots of his children at home with shots of drunken parties, public urination and a man
biting off a chicken's head before a cheering crowd in New Orleans. Woodward suggests that the film is reflective
of Eggleston's "fearless naturalism—a belief that by looking patiently at what others ignore or look away from,
interesting things can be seen."
Eggleston's published books and portfolios, include Los Alamos (actually completed in 1974, before the publication
of the Guide) the massive Election Eve (1976; a portfolio of photographs taken around Plains, Georgia before that
year's presidential election); The Morals of Vision (1978); Flowers (1978); Wedgwood Blue (1979); Seven (1979);
Troubled Waters (1980); The Louisiana Project(1980); William Eggleston's Graceland (1984) The Democratic Forest
(1989); Faulkner's Mississippi (1990), and Ancient and Modern (1992). Eggleston also worked with filmmakers,
photographing the set of John Huston's film Annie (1982) and documenting the making of David Byrne's film
True Stories (1986). He is the subject of Michael Almereyda's recent documentary portrait
William Eggleston in the Real World (2005). In 2008, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York
co-organized with Haus der Kunst in Munich, the retrospective exhibition
William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961-2008
of the Guide) the massive Election Eve (1976; a portfolio of photographs taken around Plains, Georgia before that
year's presidential election); The Morals of Vision (1978); Flowers (1978); Wedgwood Blue (1979); Seven (1979);
Troubled Waters (1980); The Louisiana Project(1980); William Eggleston's Graceland (1984) The Democratic Forest
(1989); Faulkner's Mississippi (1990), and Ancient and Modern (1992). Eggleston also worked with filmmakers,
photographing the set of John Huston's film Annie (1982) and documenting the making of David Byrne's film
True Stories (1986). He is the subject of Michael Almereyda's recent documentary portrait
William Eggleston in the Real World (2005). In 2008, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York
co-organized with Haus der Kunst in Munich, the retrospective exhibition
William Eggleston: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961-2008
[edit]Eggleston's aesthetic
Eggleston's mature work is characterized by its ordinary subject-matter. As Eudora Welty noted in her introduction
to The Democratic Forest, an Eggleston photograph might include "old tyres, Dr Pepper machines, discarded
air-conditioners, vending machines, empty and dirty Coca-Cola bottles, torn posters, power poles and power wires,
street barricades, one-way signs, detour signs, No Parking signs, parking meters and palm trees crowding the
same curb."
to The Democratic Forest, an Eggleston photograph might include "old tyres, Dr Pepper machines, discarded
air-conditioners, vending machines, empty and dirty Coca-Cola bottles, torn posters, power poles and power wires,
street barricades, one-way signs, detour signs, No Parking signs, parking meters and palm trees crowding the
same curb."
Eudora Welty suggests that Eggleston sees the complexity and beauty of the mundane world: "The extraordinary,
compelling, honest, beautiful and unsparing photographs all have to do with the quality of our lives in the ongoing
world: they succeed in showing us the grain of the present, like the cross-section of a tree.... They focus on the
mundane world. But no subject is fuller of implications than the mundane world!" Mark Holborn, in his introduction
to Ancient and Modern writes about the dark undercurrent of these mundane scenes as viewed through
Eggleston's lens: "[Eggleston's] subjects are, on the surface, the ordinary inhabitants and environs of suburban
Memphis and Mississippi--friends, family, barbecues, back yards, a tricycle and the clutter of the mundane.
The normality of these subjects is deceptive, for behind the images there is a sense of lurking danger.
" American artist Edward Ruscha said of Eggleston's work, "When you see a picture he’s taken, you’re stepping
into some kind of jagged world that seems like Eggleston World.”[1]
compelling, honest, beautiful and unsparing photographs all have to do with the quality of our lives in the ongoing
world: they succeed in showing us the grain of the present, like the cross-section of a tree.... They focus on the
mundane world. But no subject is fuller of implications than the mundane world!" Mark Holborn, in his introduction
to Ancient and Modern writes about the dark undercurrent of these mundane scenes as viewed through
Eggleston's lens: "[Eggleston's] subjects are, on the surface, the ordinary inhabitants and environs of suburban
Memphis and Mississippi--friends, family, barbecues, back yards, a tricycle and the clutter of the mundane.
The normality of these subjects is deceptive, for behind the images there is a sense of lurking danger.
" American artist Edward Ruscha said of Eggleston's work, "When you see a picture he’s taken, you’re stepping
into some kind of jagged world that seems like Eggleston World.”[1]
According to Philip Gefter from Art & Auction, "It is worth noting that Stephen Shore and William Eggleston,
pioneers of color photography in the early 1970s, borrowed, consciously or not, from the photorealists.
Their photographic interpretation of the American vernacular—gas stations, diners, parking lots—is foretold in
photorealist paintings that preceded their pictures."[2]
pioneers of color photography in the early 1970s, borrowed, consciously or not, from the photorealists.
Their photographic interpretation of the American vernacular—gas stations, diners, parking lots—is foretold in
photorealist paintings that preceded their pictures."[2]
[edit]Notable publications
The earliest commercial use of Eggleston's art was on album covers for the Memphis group Big Star, with whom
Eggleston recorded for the album Third/Sister Lovers and who used the famous Red Ceiling image on their album
Radio City. Later records also had other Eggleston images, including the dolls on a Cadillac hood featured on the
cover of the classic Alex Chilton album Like Flies on Sherbert. The Primal Scream album Give out But Don't
Give Up features a cropped photograph of a neon confederate flag and a palm tree by Eggleston. In 1994,
Eggleston allowed his long-time friend and fellow photographer Terry Manning to use two Eggleston photographs
for the front and back covers of the CD release of Christopher Idylls, an album of ethereal acoustic guitar music
produced by Manning and performed by another Eggleston friend, Gimmer Nicholson.
Eggleston recorded for the album Third/Sister Lovers and who used the famous Red Ceiling image on their album
Radio City. Later records also had other Eggleston images, including the dolls on a Cadillac hood featured on the
cover of the classic Alex Chilton album Like Flies on Sherbert. The Primal Scream album Give out But Don't
Give Up features a cropped photograph of a neon confederate flag and a palm tree by Eggleston. In 1994,
Eggleston allowed his long-time friend and fellow photographer Terry Manning to use two Eggleston photographs
for the front and back covers of the CD release of Christopher Idylls, an album of ethereal acoustic guitar music
produced by Manning and performed by another Eggleston friend, Gimmer Nicholson.
In 2006, a William Eggleston image was coincidentally used as both the cover to Primal Scream's single
"Country Girl" and the paperback edition of Ali Smith's novel The Accidental. The same picture had already been
used on the cover of Chuck Prophet's Age of Miracles album in 2004.
"Country Girl" and the paperback edition of Ali Smith's novel The Accidental. The same picture had already been
used on the cover of Chuck Prophet's Age of Miracles album in 2004.
In 2001, William Eggleston's photograph "Memphis (1968)" was used as the cover of Jimmy Eat World's
top-selling album Bleed American. Eggleston's photos also appear on Tanglewood Numbers by the Silver Jews,
Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band by Joanna Newsom and Transference by Spoon.
top-selling album Bleed American. Eggleston's photos also appear on Tanglewood Numbers by the Silver Jews,
Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band by Joanna Newsom and Transference by Spoon.
Eggleston published a body of work in 2003 titled "Los Alamos" (Zurich: Scalo) which featured his photographs
from 1966 to 1974. According to the introduction by Walter Hopps, the title for the book was derived from
Eggleston's desire to have his own secret lab.
Here is some of his work that I enjoyed
from 1966 to 1974. According to the introduction by Walter Hopps, the title for the book was derived from
Eggleston's desire to have his own secret lab.
Here is some of his work that I enjoyed
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