Comments on: Rose How'd You Get So Red? http://lookingaround.blogs.time.com/2008/02/14/rose_howd_you_get_so_red_3/ Reflections on art and architecture by TIME critic Richard Lacayo. Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:49:09 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: triscribe » December 2009 Continues http://lookingaround.blogs.time.com/2008/02/14/rose_howd_you_get_so_red_3/comment-page-1/#comment-733 triscribe » December 2009 Continues Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:43:59 +0000 http://lookingaround.blogs.time.com/2008/02/14/rose_howd_you_get_so_red_3/#comment-733 [...] other writing work. I’ve liked how it’s such a unique art blog - I’ve liked the post on paintings with red, and I liked his blog post analyzing the Tower of Lights. To me, a good art blog brings both [...] [...] other writing work. I’ve liked how it’s such a unique art blog - I’ve liked the post on paintings with red, and I liked his blog post analyzing the Tower of Lights. To me, a good art blog brings both [...]

]]> By: Eric Levin http://lookingaround.blogs.time.com/2008/02/14/rose_howd_you_get_so_red_3/comment-page-1/#comment-200 Eric Levin Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:25:26 +0000 http://lookingaround.blogs.time.com/2008/02/14/rose_howd_you_get_so_red_3/#comment-200 My favorite red picture is William Eggleston's 1973 The Red Room, a picture of a blood red ceiling with a bare light bulb. You can find a small reproduction of the picture at <a href="http://www.davidrumsey.com/amica/amico1369437-113303.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.davidrumsey.com/amica/amico1369437-113303.html</a> Mark Holborn talked about the origin and impact of the picture in his introduction to Eggleston's book "Ancient and Modern": "The Red Ceiling was to become one of his most famous images. The cross of white cable leading to the potent, central light bulb, was what he described as a 'fly's eye view' in the guest room of his friend, a dentist in Greenwood, Mississippi, whose choice of decor included an adjacent blue room; he can be seen naked, his walls daubed with graffiti, in The Guide. "The house with the red room was subsequently burned down and his friend murdered, yet far from having any sinister connotation, the red room was immensely pleasing to Eggleston. "'The Red Ceiling is so powerful, that in fact I've never seen it reproduced on the page to my satisfaction,' Eggleston claimed. 'When you look at the dye it is like red blood that's wet on the wall. The photograph was like a Bach exercise for me because I knew that red was the most difficult color to work with. "'A little red is usually enough, but to work with an entire red surface was a challenge. It was hard to do. I don't know of any totally red pictures, except in advertising. The photograph is still powerful. It shocks you every time.'" My favorite red picture is William Eggleston's 1973 The Red Room, a picture of a blood red ceiling with a bare light bulb.

You can find a small reproduction of the picture at http://www.davidrumsey.com/amica/amico1369437-113303.html

Mark Holborn talked about the origin and impact of the picture in his introduction to Eggleston's book "Ancient and Modern":

"The Red Ceiling was to become one of his most famous images. The cross of white cable leading to the potent, central light bulb, was what he described as a 'fly's eye view' in the guest room of his friend, a dentist in Greenwood, Mississippi, whose choice of decor included an adjacent blue room; he can be seen naked, his walls daubed with graffiti, in The Guide.

"The house with the red room was subsequently burned down and his friend murdered, yet far from having any sinister connotation, the red room was immensely pleasing to Eggleston.

"'The Red Ceiling is so powerful, that in fact I've never seen it reproduced on the page to my satisfaction,' Eggleston claimed. 'When you look at the dye it is like red blood that's wet on the wall. The photograph was like a Bach exercise for me because I knew that red was the most difficult color to work with.

"'A little red is usually enough, but to work with an entire red surface was a challenge. It was hard to do. I don't know of any totally red pictures, except in advertising. The photograph is still powerful. It shocks you every time.'"

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