Wednesday 23 October 2013

William Eggelston at the Tate Modern


Following on from my introduction to William Eggelston's work, I attended the Tate Modern in London to look more closely into his style and view his images. 

Eggleston's work was displayed within a larger exhibition called 'Energy and Process'. The displays looked at different artists interest in transformation and natural forces. 

Two series of his works were on display, the first was called 'Election Eve 1976'. The ten images in this series were taken shortly before the 1976 American Presidential election. Eggelston took a road trip around the state of Georgia. This is the area where Jimmy Carter's campaign headquarters was based. 


Looking through the images, I could see the abandoned vehicles, the derelict buildings, the look of a run down area of the USA. But just around the corner, not only the nations media but also the world were looking on as the country chose the next president of the worlds largest and richest economy. 



Eggleston uses a method of printing called 'dye transfer', which allows various colours within a photograph to be printed as separations. Each colour is printed in its richest form, maintaining strong red and green tones within a single image. This was apparent when viewing his work, the colours are truly outstanding. 

The second series is called 'Chrome'. This is a selection of ten photographs taken from 1969-74 using Kodachrome and Ektachrome film, hence the title. 

William Eggelston - Untitled - Chromes 1969-1974



This series of photographs is a glimpse into Eggelston's early work around his home state of Memphis, Tennessee and his testing of colour and compositional strategies. 





William Eggelston - Untitled - Chromes 1969-1974


Chromes has been released as a set of three clothbound books. The books are an edit of more than 5000 Kodachrome and Ektachchrome photographs taken from ten chronologically ordered binders found in a safe at the Eggelston Artistic Trust. 

This set cost a whopping £500, but hopefully one day soon I will be the proud owner of this outstanding body of work by one of most important contemporary American photographers. 

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