Chromes features three volumes worth of plates from a collection of over 5,000 Kodachromes and Ektachromes taken between 1969 and 1974. It constitutes a simple but striking portrayal of the American south: Eggleston highlights the modesty of everyday life, elevating ordinary scenery by rendering it the subject of evocative and innovative colour photographs. They additionally serve to signal Eggleston’s pioneering role in colour photography – which at the time was almost exclusively confined to the domain of advertising – inspiring an entire generation of photographers and filmmakers: a dimly lit empty corridor, a shop front, a car that drives by. Everything and everyone is a photo opportunity, whereby Eggleston’s equalised treatment of his subject matter reaffirms photography’s reputation as a democratic medium, evidencing the extent of his influence and solidifying his place among the masters of photography.

www.egglestontrust.com

Chromes was featured in the books section of GUP #34, What We Like 2.