Ralph Eugene Meatyard
Encyclopedia
Ralph Eugene Meatyard was an American photographer, from Normal, Illinois
.
, to continue his trade as an optician. The company he worked for, Tinder-Krausse-Tinder also sold photographic equipment. The owners of this company were active members of the Lexington Camera Club, for which the Art Department of the University of Kentucky
provided exhibition space.
Meatyard purchased his first camera in 1950 to photograph his son, Michael. He eventually found his way to the Lexington Camera club in 1954, and at the same time joined the Photographic Society of America
. It was at the camera club that Meatyard met Van Deren Coke, an early influence behind much of Meatyard's work. He even exhibited work by Meatyard in an exhibition for the University entitled 'Creative Photography' 1956.
During the mid 1950s he would attend a series of summer workshops, run by Henry Holmes Smith
and Minor White
. Minor White in particular fostered Meatyard's interest in Zen Philosophy.
He continued to make work, usually in bursts during holidays, in his makeshift darkroom in his home, until his death in 1972. His approach was somewhat improvisational and very heavily influenced by the jazz music of the time.
Ralph Eugene Meatyard's death in 1972, a week away from his 47th birthday, came at the height of the "photo boom", a period of growth and ferment in photography in the United States which paralleled the political and social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s. It was a time of ambition, not reflection, a time for writing résumés, not thoughtful and inclusive histories; in the contest of reputation, dying in 1972 meant leaving the race early. It was left to friends and colleagues to complete an Aperture monograph on Meatyard and carry through with the publication of The Family Album of Lucybelle Crater (1974) which he had laid out and sequenced before his death.
While he lived Meatyard's work was shown and collected by major museums, published in important art magazines, and regarded by his peers as among the most original and disturbing imagery ever created with a camera. He exhibited with such well-known and diverse photographers as Edward Weston
, Ansel Adams
, Minor White
, Aaron Siskind
, Harry Callahan, Robert Frank
, and Eikoh Hosoe
. But by the late 1970s, his photographs seemed consigned to appear mainly in exhibitions of "southern" art. In the last decade, however, thanks in part to European critics, Meatyard's work has reemerged, and the depth of its genius and its contributions to photography have begun to be understood and appreciated. In a sense Meatyard suffered a fate common to artists who are very much of but also very far ahead of their time. Everything about his life and his art ran counter to the usual and expected patterns. He was an optician, happily married, a father of three, president of the Parent-Teacher Association, and coach of a boy's baseball team. He lived in Lexington, Kentucky
, far from the urban centers most associated with serious art. His images had nothing to do with the gritty "street photography" of the east coast or the romantic view camera realism of the west coast. His best known images were populated with dolls and masks, with family, friends and neighbors pictured in abandoned buildings or in ordinary suburban backyards.
At the same time he often turned from this vernacular focus and, like such photographers as Henry Holmes Smith
, Harry Callahan and others, produced highly experimental work. These images include multiple exposures and photographs where, through deliberate camera movement, Meatyard took Fox Talbot's "pencil of nature" and drew calligraphic images with the sun's reflection on a black void of water. However, where others used these experiments to expand the possibilities of form in photographs, Meatyard consistently applied breakthroughs in formal design to the exploration of ideas and emotions. Finally—and of great importance in the development of his aesthetic—Meatyard created a mode of "No-Focus" imagery that was distinctly his own. "No-Focus" images ran entirely counter to any association of camera art with objective realism and opened a new sense of creative freedom in his art.
• Tannenbaum, Barbara (Editor); 1991, Ralph Eugene Meatyard: An American Visionary, (Rizzoli)
Meatyard purchased his first camera in 1950 to photograph his son, Michael. He eventually found his way to the Lexington Camera club in 1954, and at the same time joined the Photographic Society of America. It was at the camera club where Meatyard met, Van Deren Coke, and Coke was to be a early influence behind much of Meatyard's work. He even exhibited work by Meatyard in an exhibition for the University entitled 'Creative Photography' 1956.
Normal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
.
Life & Career
Married to Madelyn McKinney, he moved to Lexington, KentuckyLexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, to continue his trade as an optician. The company he worked for, Tinder-Krausse-Tinder also sold photographic equipment. The owners of this company were active members of the Lexington Camera Club, for which the Art Department of the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
provided exhibition space.
Meatyard purchased his first camera in 1950 to photograph his son, Michael. He eventually found his way to the Lexington Camera club in 1954, and at the same time joined the Photographic Society of America
Photographic Society of America
The Photographic Society of America is one of the largest, non-profit organization of its kind. Despite its name it is an International organisation open to anyone with an interest in photography. Established in 1934, it has expanded to include members of over 70 countries. The Society includes...
. It was at the camera club that Meatyard met Van Deren Coke, an early influence behind much of Meatyard's work. He even exhibited work by Meatyard in an exhibition for the University entitled 'Creative Photography' 1956.
During the mid 1950s he would attend a series of summer workshops, run by Henry Holmes Smith
Henry Holmes Smith
Henry Holmes Smith was an American photographer and one of most influential fine art photography teachers of the mid 20th century. He was inspired by the work that had been done at the German Bauhaus and in 1937 was invited to teach photography at the New Bauhaus being founded by Moholy-Nagy in...
and Minor White
Minor White
Minor Martin White was an American photographer born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.White earned a degree in botany with a minor in English from the University of Minnesota in 1933. His first creative efforts were in poetry, as he took five years thereafter to complete a sequence of 100 sonnets while...
. Minor White in particular fostered Meatyard's interest in Zen Philosophy.
He continued to make work, usually in bursts during holidays, in his makeshift darkroom in his home, until his death in 1972. His approach was somewhat improvisational and very heavily influenced by the jazz music of the time.
Ralph Eugene Meatyard's death in 1972, a week away from his 47th birthday, came at the height of the "photo boom", a period of growth and ferment in photography in the United States which paralleled the political and social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s. It was a time of ambition, not reflection, a time for writing résumés, not thoughtful and inclusive histories; in the contest of reputation, dying in 1972 meant leaving the race early. It was left to friends and colleagues to complete an Aperture monograph on Meatyard and carry through with the publication of The Family Album of Lucybelle Crater (1974) which he had laid out and sequenced before his death.
While he lived Meatyard's work was shown and collected by major museums, published in important art magazines, and regarded by his peers as among the most original and disturbing imagery ever created with a camera. He exhibited with such well-known and diverse photographers as Edward Weston
Edward Weston
Edward Henry Weston was a 20th century American photographer. He has been called "one of the most innovative and influential American photographers…" and "one of the masters of 20th century photography." Over the course of his forty-year career Weston photographed an increasingly expansive set of...
, Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams
Ansel Easton Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist, best known for his black-and-white photographs of the American West, especially in Yosemite National Park....
, Minor White
Minor White
Minor Martin White was an American photographer born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.White earned a degree in botany with a minor in English from the University of Minnesota in 1933. His first creative efforts were in poetry, as he took five years thereafter to complete a sequence of 100 sonnets while...
, Aaron Siskind
Aaron Siskind
Aaron Siskind was an American abstract expressionist photographer. In his biography he wrote that he began his foray into photography when he received a camera for a wedding gift and began taking pictures on his honeymoon. He quickly realized the artistic potential this offered...
, Harry Callahan, Robert Frank
Robert Frank
Robert Frank , born in Zürich, Switzerland, is an important figure in American photography and film. His most notable work, the 1958 photobook titled The Americans, was influential, and earned Frank comparisons to a modern-day de Tocqueville for his fresh and skeptical outsider's view of American...
, and Eikoh Hosoe
Eikoh Hosoe
is a Japanese photographer and filmmaker who emerged in the experimental arts movement of post-World War II Japan. He is known for his psychologically charged images, often exploring subjects such as death, erotic obsession, and irrationality...
. But by the late 1970s, his photographs seemed consigned to appear mainly in exhibitions of "southern" art. In the last decade, however, thanks in part to European critics, Meatyard's work has reemerged, and the depth of its genius and its contributions to photography have begun to be understood and appreciated. In a sense Meatyard suffered a fate common to artists who are very much of but also very far ahead of their time. Everything about his life and his art ran counter to the usual and expected patterns. He was an optician, happily married, a father of three, president of the Parent-Teacher Association, and coach of a boy's baseball team. He lived in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, far from the urban centers most associated with serious art. His images had nothing to do with the gritty "street photography" of the east coast or the romantic view camera realism of the west coast. His best known images were populated with dolls and masks, with family, friends and neighbors pictured in abandoned buildings or in ordinary suburban backyards.
At the same time he often turned from this vernacular focus and, like such photographers as Henry Holmes Smith
Henry Holmes Smith
Henry Holmes Smith was an American photographer and one of most influential fine art photography teachers of the mid 20th century. He was inspired by the work that had been done at the German Bauhaus and in 1937 was invited to teach photography at the New Bauhaus being founded by Moholy-Nagy in...
, Harry Callahan and others, produced highly experimental work. These images include multiple exposures and photographs where, through deliberate camera movement, Meatyard took Fox Talbot's "pencil of nature" and drew calligraphic images with the sun's reflection on a black void of water. However, where others used these experiments to expand the possibilities of form in photographs, Meatyard consistently applied breakthroughs in formal design to the exploration of ideas and emotions. Finally—and of great importance in the development of his aesthetic—Meatyard created a mode of "No-Focus" imagery that was distinctly his own. "No-Focus" images ran entirely counter to any association of camera art with objective realism and opened a new sense of creative freedom in his art.
Further reading
- Meatyard, Ralph Eugene; & Davenport, Guy (Essay), 2005, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, (Steidl/ICP]
- Ralph Eugen Meatyard Phaidon Press 2002 ISBN 0-7148-4112-9
- Rhem, James; Ralph Eugene Meatyard: The Family Album of Lucybelle Crater and Other Figurative Photographs(D.A.P., 2002) 125 pages. Three critical texts, "Lucybelle" with 34 additional previously unpublished Meatyard photographs. ISBN 1891024299
- Rhem, James (Author); & Meatyard, Ralph Eugene (Photographer), 1999, Ralph Eugene MeatyardPhotopoche, No: 87’, (Centre National de Photo)
• Tannenbaum, Barbara (Editor); 1991, Ralph Eugene Meatyard: An American Visionary, (Rizzoli)
Meatyard purchased his first camera in 1950 to photograph his son, Michael. He eventually found his way to the Lexington Camera club in 1954, and at the same time joined the Photographic Society of America. It was at the camera club where Meatyard met, Van Deren Coke, and Coke was to be a early influence behind much of Meatyard's work. He even exhibited work by Meatyard in an exhibition for the University entitled 'Creative Photography' 1956.