There is something about Eggleston's use of yellows in the LACMA exhibit that was particulary striking to me. Throughout his photographs, Eggleston makes an effort to make his subject matter brighter than life. If we were, for example, standing in front of the woman above in the yellow dress, our eyes would auto focus the colors she wears. His work is both a reality and a fiction in that he presents the grittiness of the American life, while simultaneously manipulating the colors of the scenes to project a glamourous mood.
I like that the collection at LACMA is called the Democratic Camera. Eggleston emphasized that no subject was off limits for him. Everything was equal in his lense. By the photographer allowing himself such freedom, the viewer takes another look at the classic American scenes Eggleston presents. The vibrancy of his palette suggests beauty in all his subject matter.
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