Visited Tate Modern yesterday, 24th June 2013. Wanted to see the permanent collection of the work of William Eggleston on display. The collection forms part of the Cruel + Tender collection. There are 36 original works by Eggleston and appear to include works from throughout his career although this is always difficult to tell because he rarely entitles his work and even more rarely provides a date as to when they were shot.
What immediately struck me was the difference in impact between the original prints and the ones that we see in the various publications dedicated to his work. Obviously they are bigger and the colours are the product of the dye transfer process rather than modern printing processes. Colours appear more vibrant and the blocks of colour in some of the images have greater impact. All the photographs invited closer inspection and the results of this closer inspection was to appreciate the subtlety of the images and the many elements that go to make up the picture. I have to confess that seeing this collection significantly altered my view of Eggleston's work and I came to appreciate some of the adulation he receives and why he is often seen as the person who made colour photography acceptable.
Whilst researching material for use in my third Assignment I came across a paper by Eric Kim in which he comments that on first seeing Eggleston's work he was "quite disappointed". However he did not give up on it but studied the images closely allowing himself time to 'see' what was in each work. I propose doing the same. The modern high speed world dissuades us from taking our time over anything but stepping outside of this maelstrom allows the opportunity to appreciate the underlying concept in a piece of work.
So visiting the exhibition not only increased my appreciation of Eggleston but also gave me insight into the value of his work. A worthwhile visit!
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