Memphis

William Eggleston

about 1971

Dye imbibition print

J. Paul Getty Museum

In this tightly composed image of a tiled shower alive with subtle variations of green, William Eggleston demonstrated his ability for exploiting both color and scale to produce formal images that explore the artistic potential of color photography. Using 35mm Canon and Leica cameras, with a moderate wide-angle lens to exaggerate his already unusual perspectives, he works with color negative film to create images for dye transfer. This method involves a non-chemical, handmade process that promotes irregularities and strident, unnatural colors.