Ralph Eugene Meatyard

[gone]

I stumbled onto Mr. Meatyard's work (born in Normal, Il) while researching whether or not I could use Microdol replenisher for Microdol-X developer (Photo Engineer says NO, but I'm going to try it anyway, as they look like essentially the same developers from what I can gather except for the secret X ingredient, which may just be more salt). Meatyard's photos have a look that appeals to me. Talk about old school!

He used a lot of Mic-X and Panatomic-X, and "cooked" things to speed the developing up, as he was impatient w/ the process. I am unsure what the reference to cooked means, but it probably doesn't mean pushing the film. I suspect that he developed things at higher temps. Meatyard seems to have led a very interesting (although unnaturally short) life, with interests in Zen, music, literature and photography, as well as making his day to day living as a full time optician. He also found time to conduct Zen meditation sits on his lunch hours. As a longtime Zen student, I'd say he was quite adapt at the practice to do something like this.

The photographic world has sort of kept him off to the side, but his work has been getting a little attention these last few years. I wonder if anyone here has ever seen his work in person, or knows more about him? His shots of people in masks, especially children, are fascinating. It's said that he used the masks because they erased the differences in people, and "to depersonalize a person". Making them all people I guess, rather than one specific individual.

Here's a few of his photos, and they're small, no bigger than 8" or so. It doesn't seem to be that easy getting a lot of info on the guy. I see his influence in a lot of other photographer's work.

http://www.artnet.com/artists/ralph-eugene-meatyard/

 

[Hilo]

The photographic world has not kept Meatyard to the side. Aperture published a beautiful monograph in 1974, both in hardcover and paperback. Nazraeli Press published a strong catalog with an exhibition at the ICP in NY, in 1991 the Akron Art Museum did a retrospective with a book as well.

Meatyard was not mainstream, like Emmet Gowin wasn't, or Dave Heath and many others. But inside the photographic world of photographers, galleries and museums, these photographers are very influencial. Their older books in first editions fetch very high prices. In Paris Photo of last november, I saw at least three galleries with Meatyard on the wall.

The images with the masks were part of a series published in 1974, called The Family Album of Lucibelle Crater. Strong, haunting work.

 

[gone]

Right, he's not mainstream. That's obviously what I meant by his work being off to the side. You won't see it in what I would consider the usual galleries in the US for sale, and he doesn't get many write ups, or acknowledgements from other photographers, although you can see his influence in their work. He's not seen as an outsider, but he should be getting much more credit and attention than he does.

I was familiar w/ him before now, but since I never see his name or work, the photos online are like seeing him afresh. I've lived in many large US markets, but only once have I seen one of his prints for sale or exhibit.

 

[ParkerSmithPhoto]

in 1991 the Akron Art Museum did a retrospective with a book as well.

I was lucky (or at least, not completely careless) that I caught the last day of this show at the High Museum here in Atlanta, Georgia, sometime in 1992-93, and I JUST VIBRATED LIKE A TUNING FORK. It was one of the most deeply felt art experiences I've ever had in my life, as good as seeing Ingres at the National Gallery. Yeah, it was that good.

Since then, I have been through that Akron catalog many, many times. Barbara Tannenbaum edited the book and wrote one of the essays; I met her last year and had a chance to tell her what that book has meant to me, words fail.

There are many high quality books of Meatyard available. The Akron Museum book "Ralph Eugene Meatyard: An American Visionary" is still very inexpensive in paperback. It's a top notch production, and for $12, I might just buy another one!

Another beautiful book was by (naturally) Steidl: "Ralph Eugene Meatyard" with very little overlap from the Akron edit. Edit and illuminating essay by Meatyard's long time friend Guy Davenport; Meatyard is a fascinating biographical read. One of my all time favorite artists.

Ralph Eugene Meatyard, love you long time.

 

[blockend]

I've been a fan of Meatyard's work since first seeing it in the 1970s. He exists in contrast to the edgy, outsider persona of the art photographer, while his work is every bit as weird as, say, Diane Arbus. I think we'll see REMs stock as a photographer rising in the coming decades.