Review of the Energy and Process Exhibition by William Eggleston at the Tate Modern.

At the Tate Modern there is an exhibition by William Eggleston called Energy an Process. His images mostly taken in South America experiment with colour and as he describes ‘depicts the banal and everyday’ [(1) Eggleston 2013 www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/display/william-eggleston]

 He began to experiment with colour in the 1960s when colour photography was associated with commercial industries such as advertising. In 1972 he experimented with dye transfer a process in which the different colours of the images are printed in there strongest form making them durable and unable to fade. The exhibition had two series ‘chromes’ images from 1969-1974 using kodachrome film and ‘Election Eve’ taken in 1976 during the presidential election and records a road trip around plains country, each series displace about 10 images.

I really like this exhibition, his images are bold and colourful creating eye catching and striking photos. He is portraying ‘life today’ [(2) Eggleston 2013 www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/display/william-eggleston] rather than documenting a particular moment in time. He uses many diagonal lines and reflections as well as bright bold colours and high contrast to make his images effective. Many of his images are taken of landscapes, cars or portraits of strangers he has met in the street.

The way Eggleston has presented his images, in many large frames placed at eye level makes the exhibition accessible but effective for the viewer. The frames are spaced evenly along the exhibition wall, evenly spaced from each other, creating a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

The exhibition is very releevnt to me, I like the style and the bright vibrant colours of his images. His work is very creative and narrative and the way he has displayed his photographs shows this. I am inspired by his images, I would like to make a response to William Egglestons photos and I will experiment with his style of bright colours and the idea of using large frames and spacing to display the photos. I also like the idea of catching people carrying out their daily lives which creates a very interesting and engaging image. I think the visit to the Tate Modern was a good experience, I have learnt a lot and gathered many ideas for use in future projects.

Bibliogaphy

Exhibition Visit:

            Tate Modern Gallery 4/9/13

Internet:

            Eggleston William (2013) Energy and Process

            Tate Modern

Avaliable at www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/display/william-eggleston (Accessed 5/9/13)

Quote:

(1) (2) Eggleston William (2013) Energy and Process

Tate Modern

Avaliable at www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/display/william-eggleston (Accessed 4/9/13)