William Eggleston (born July 27, 1939), a name synonymous with the elevation of colour photography to fine art, forged a unique legacy by focusing his lens on the seemingly mundane. His photographs, often saturated with vibrant hues and imbued with a quiet melancholy, transformed the everyday into something worthy of contemplation. This essay explores Eggleston's career, examining his influences, significant works and exhibitions, his place in photography's history, the evolution of his vision, and his enduring impact.
Early Life:
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1939, Eggleston's upbringing was steeped in Southern culture and privilege. Inheriting a plantation, he developed an early fascination with technology, particularly cameras. His initial explorations were in black and white, but encountering dye-transfer prints, a high-quality colour process, ignited his lifelong passion for colour. "I noticed colour very early on," Eggleston said. "It seemed utterly natural to me." This fascination distinguished him from contemporaries who considered black and white the only serious artistic medium.
Influences:
Eggleston's influences were diverse. While he admired photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson, whose "decisive moment" resonated with his interest in capturing fleeting moments, his approach diverged. Cartier-Bresson sought the exceptional within the ordinary; Eggleston focused on the inherent beauty and complexity of the ordinary itself. "I wasn't interested in the decisive moment," Eggleston explained. "I was interested in the moments before and after." He was drawn to the overlooked, the in-between moments.
He also drew inspiration from advertising, graphic design, and popular culture, recognising the artistry in everyday imagery.
The pop art movement, with its focus on the mundane, also impacted his development. He recognised beauty in the vernacular, the overlooked, the seemingly insignificant. This embrace of the everyday set him apart.
Key Works and Exhibitions:
Eggleston's first major exhibition, "Photographs by William Eggleston," at MoMA in 1976, curated by John Szarkowski, while now considered groundbreaking, initially received mixed reviews. Some critics found the images banal, others recognised their unique vision. Szarkowski wrote, "Eggleston's pictures are about the real world, not about photography." This exhibition, despite controversy, marked a turning point for colour photography's acceptance.
His seminal book, "William Eggleston's Guide," published with the MoMA exhibition, solidified his reputation. This portfolio of 100 dye-transfer prints showcased his ability to find beauty in the ordinary. The book's seemingly random sequencing, focus on the vernacular, and embrace of colour contributed to its groundbreaking status. "The Guide" became a touchstone for a generation.
Other important books include "Election Eve" (1980), documenting the American South during the 1976 election; "The Democratic Forest" (1989), a vast collection showcasing the American landscape; "Ancient and Modern" (1992), exploring history and modernity in the South; "From Black and White to Colour" (2000), a retrospective of his early work; and "Los Alamos Revisited" (2003), revisiting photographs from the 1970s.
The Eggleston Aesthetic: The Everyday Sublime:
Eggleston's photography is characterised by specific stylistic elements. His colour use is bold and deliberate, creating a heightened reality. His compositions are often unconventional, sometimes appearing casual, yet carefully constructed. He frequently uses the "snapshot aesthetic," capturing mundane subjects with directness. "I am at war with the obvious," Eggleston stated. He sought to capture the world as he saw it, without pretense.
Crucially, he finds the extraordinary in the ordinary, the everyday sublime. He photographs car parks, diners, petrol stations, and other everyday scenes with the same attention as conventionally "beautiful" subjects. He elevates the mundane, revealing hidden beauty and complexity. He forces us to look closely, to see beauty in the overlooked, and appreciate the seemingly insignificant.
Eggleston's Place in History:
Eggleston's work was crucial to colour photography's acceptance as fine art. Before him, it was often seen as commercial or amateur. His work demonstrated colour's artistic potential, showing it could create nuanced, complex, emotionally resonant images. He legitimised colour in the art world, paving the way for future photographers.
His influence is evident in contemporary photographers who embrace his approach to colour, composition, and subject matter. His emphasis on the everyday and the vernacular has impacted the broader art world. His work challenged traditional subject hierarchies and expanded the definition of "art."
The Evolution of Eggleston's Work:
While his core aesthetic remained consistent, his work evolved. Early work shows experimentation, gradually refining his vision. As he gained confidence with colour, his images became more saturated. Later works, like "The Democratic Forest," show greater breadth and a more complex understanding of the American landscape. He explored the interplay of nature and culture, past and present, individual and collective.
Despite these evolutions, his fundamental approach remained unchanged. He continued focusing on the everyday, finding beauty in the mundane, capturing the world with a blend of detachment and empathy. "I just take pictures," he said. "I don't have any grand ideas about art." This reflects his unpretentious approach, focusing on seeing and capturing.
Influence and Legacy:
Eggleston's influence is undeniable. Photographers like Stephen Shore, Joel Sternfeld, and Nan Goldin cite him as inspiration. Shore said, "Eggleston showed me that you could make art out of the everyday." His impact extends beyond photography, influencing filmmakers, painters, and other artists. The cinematic quality of his images has been noted, further demonstrating his influence.
His legacy lies in transforming how we see the world. He taught us to look closely at the mundane, appreciate beauty in the ordinary, and recognise artistry in the everyday. He demonstrated colour photography's power to capture human experience's complexity and richness. His work democratised vision, suggesting all subjects are worthy of attention.
Eggleston's photographs are not simply documents; they are works of art inviting us to see the world anew. They are a testament to photography's power to reveal the extraordinary in the ordinary, the beautiful in the mundane, and the profound in the everyday. His "democratic forest" continues to resonate, reminding us the world, in all its messy, vibrant details, is worthy of our attention. As Luc Sante wrote, "Eggleston's photographs are not about what things look like, but about what they feel like." This emotional resonance, combined with his groundbreaking colour use and focus on the everyday, makes his work enduring and significant. He showed us the poetry in the prosaic, the beauty in the banal, and the art in the everyday, the sublime hidden within the ordinary.