October 11, 2010 — Patrick Zimmerman

William Eggleston: Democratic Camera and Photographs

Democratic Camera and Photographs, 1961-2008 is a collection of works by the internationally acclaimed photographer William Eggleston. By the 1960s and early 1970s Eggleston had begun experimenting with color film, and he eventually produced rich, vivid prints through the dye transfer process, prints created through the alignment of three separate matrices (cyan, magenta, and yellow) generated from three separate negatives (red, green, and blue filters). The resulting photographs are known for the vividness and permanence of their colors. Hence, Eggleston is often credited for single-handedly ushering in the era of color art photography.

Eggleston treats color and light in his photography as emotional sounding boards, “color as a means of discovery and expression, and as a way to highlight aspects of life hidden in plain sight.” Everything that happens in front of the camera is worthy of becoming a picture for Eggleston, no matter how seemingly circumstantial or trivial. Eggleston finds his motifs in everyday life, resulting in telling portrayals of American culture. This is what Eggleston points his democratic camera at, life hidden in plain sight, revealed in all its intricacies, in all of its mundane glories.

William Eggleston: Democratic Camera and Photographs

William Eggleston Interview: Democratic Camera, Photographs and Video, 1961-2008

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