Ralph Eugene Meatyard
was born in Normal, Ill. in 1925, perhaps dooming him from the start.
Sure, the father and photographer was the president of the PTA and
Little League, but he also took pictures of his children in abandoned
mansions wearing weird masks. Meatyard, trained as an optician, held a long-time interest in visual
perception. This, combined with a college degree in philosophy and his
self-described Zen influence, led to a desire to examine the
otherworldly. The photographer, who hung dearly to his amateur status,
went on road trips with his family, pulling over at abandoned farmhouses
and ominous, decrepit mansions along the way.
Placing grotesque masks on his children and setting them free,
Meatyard captured an un-choreographed mix of childhood innocence amid
strange and horror-filled backdrops. They evoke the dark unknown
histories lurking in "normal" America.
I was introduced to Meatyard's Photos last semester in photo history. His work has slowly grown on me. At first the photos appear as almost a collection of horror images. What I enjoy about his photos are that the masks that he uses on his children, it makes there heads look over-sized and brings a funny aspect to his photos. Also his use of movement in a few of his photos is well executed. He has became one of my favorite photographers.
Here is a link to an article that talks about his photography
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/ralph-eugene-meatyard-the-man-behind-the-masks-106625198/?no-ist
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