William Eggleston: At Zenith

A book for Eggleston fans only (I'm one). The photos are of clouds and sky and, truthfully, they are not very interesting. Either the printing or the photos themselves have some technical issues as well. The book has a beautifully bound cover but there's just not a lot of meat on the bones to hold the viewer's attention. Given that Eggleston's books often increase in value when they go out of print, this might be an investment for some but it's not a book to which I will often return for insight on his images . While I admire his work I feel this is the weakest presentation I've seen--and I was not particularly thrilled with his book on Paris.

I was lucky to find this new on Amazon for $8. The price shot way up shortly after. The entire book is images of the sky. At first glance through, you wonder why you would buy such a book. But subsequent passes keep drawing you in. It's a very relaxing and refreshing collection and a very well made Steidl book. If you are new to Eggleston, you probably won't like it. If you love Eggleston, you would appreciate it.

At Zenith is a beautifully produced book presenting William Eggleston's sky photos from 1977 and 1978 taken during a road trip from Georgia to Tennessee. They were shot with a 6 x 9 format camera and the book has nice full page reproductions. This series was concerned with one thing: the color blue and all the different shades and arrangements made with the clouds. Eggleston is a master of color it's a joy to see these images. One bit of warning this book is all about the sky photos. There is nothing else. The cover image is a good representative of what you'll find inside so if you don't want a book full of sky photos then you may want to pass on it. For Eggleston completists it's a must-buy. For first time Eggleston fans this is not the place to start.

Probably the only time William Eggleston has managed to be boring in his whole life. Hats off to him though. He hasn't held back. It's very very boring.

William Eggleston at Zenith - très bel ouvrage Brochée- arrivé très bien emballés

発売日にすぐ手に入れたかった為、半年ぐらい前から予約してあった期待の写真集だったが、拝見して少しがっかり。エグルストンにしては淡白すぎて、物足りなさを感じてしまう。淡々と切り取られた空と雲の変化を写し取った写真集であるが街やモノを題材にした今までのニューカラー的なものとはまた一線を画したものとなっている。エグルストンにしてみると、この写真集は実験的なものだったのだろうか？真意は判らないが今までのエグルストンの写真とは異なっており、それに期待をすると面食らうことは必定である。自分としては、連続的な写真で少々飽きてしまう。エグルストンらしさが無いので自分としては残念である。空や雲の写真集ならHABU氏の写真集の方が色彩も豊かで、自分は好きである。単調で淡白な写真という感じが自分の感想である。よって評価としては自分は2か3か迷ったが抽象表現という事もあり自分でも判断しかねる部分がある為、少し甘めの☆3つとさせていただく。