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N ORDER TO
pinpoint exactly when
color photography became an art form, it
would be wise to investigate the
early work of William Eggleston.
The Mississippi dandy broke into
the upper echelon of the art world
in 1976, when he received a solo
show at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York, much to the chagrin
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SECTION
of “serious” aesthetes. A New York
Times critic even called it “the most
hated show of the year.” Why? Because Eggleston’s color photos look
like snapshots. To an untrained eye,
they were the work of an amateur.
But to those who have studied the
photographer’s work in the 36 years
hence, the impact of his photos on
the art world has been invaluable.
To create maximum visual
impact, Eggleston saturates his
photos with vivid primary colors
through a complicated dye-trans-
HUFFINGTON
09.30.12
William
Eggleston
attends his
retrospective
at the
Whitney
Museum in
New York in
2008.