"The Red Ceiling"

Artist: William Eggleston

Title: The Red Ceiling

William Eggleston's Red Ceiling was one of the first photos that jumped at me when I first researched his name. I noticed all of his photos are retro in that they are taken in the mid 70s but this photo could appear timeless. What caught my attention was the contrast between the red saturation of the ceiling and the white wires moving in all directions coming from the bulb. It almost looks like giant spider legs crawling on the ceiling. The flash he used gives more definition and depth perception to the wires almost giving them more of a creepy feel. The angle the photo is taken at makes the room feel small or as if the photographer is standing on something. The angle makes the viewer feel smaller or insignificant. This photo is considered one his most famous photos because of it's surface simplicity but also because of it's deeper complexity. Eggleston claims this is one is so powerful that he has never seen it reproduced on a print to his satisfaction.  The Red Ceiling is also known as Mississippi 1973 in honor of where it was taken and the year. Eggleston names a lot of his photos in this way to give further context to the photograph and set a certain mood or feeling based solely on that information. The viewer gets a retro perspective at first glance without any information. To later learn that the photo was taken in Mississippi and in 1973 it can arouse different emotions for different people. For example, I was not alive in 1973 and I've never been to Mississippi so this photo can have a completely different feeling for me than for someone who has lived in either or both of those circumstances. 

As far as the artistic approach goes, the color red is very alluring. It catches the eye right away especially with the bright white contrast of the wires. It makes you wonder if a red filter was used or if the room was that color to begin with. In either case, using the flash to illuminate the lightbulb and almost give a vignette around the photo gives a retro context. The cropping of the photo is somewhat frustrating in that you can't see what the object is in the lower right hand corner or the proportion of the door in relation to the rest of the room. But it does add to the sense of wonderment and mystery for the overall feeling.