'Red Ball of a Sun Slipping Down' is a brilliant retrospective of Eugene Richards鈥檚 Arkansas catalog
In his latest book, Red Ball of a Sun Slipping Down, photographer Eugene Richards quotes one of his subjects, Porter Lee, a woman caring for her husband and grandchildren.
鈥� 鈥榃hat you鈥檒l do,鈥� Lee once said to Richards, 鈥榠s forget us.鈥� 鈥� But Richards could not forget the Arkansas Delta. His 1960s civil rights work as a Vista volunteer, social worker, and journalist molded him. For Richards, the time he spent in Arkansas was the beginning of a storied career photographing people and places that are otherwise ignored.
In 鈥淩ed Ball of a Sun Slipping Down,鈥� color photographs from Richards鈥檚 subsequent visits to the delta are interspersed with unpublished material from his first book, 鈥淔ew Comforts or Surprises: The Arkansas Delta,鈥� to produce a retrospective of Richards鈥檚 Arkansas catalog.
The text is minimal, based on memories and impressions. The later work reveals the artist鈥檚 matured aesthetic when seen in conjunction with his earliest images. In the 1960s Richards confronted racism and poverty directly with his camera. In more recent years, he has explored individual lives 鈥� people鈥檚 emotions and spirit.
Having pioneered a style of composition using the wide-angle lens up close, Richards often claims it was a method for overcoming his shyness. His distinctive use of every corner of the frame while exploiting the expansive depth of field of his lens allows for a complex interplay of elements. Whether it鈥檚 an image of a heat-stricken hotel maid near a window reflecting a pool, or a close-up of a preacher bent over a Bible, Richards artfully reveals a story in every frame.
What makes Richards鈥檚 work compelling is his emotional courage. 鈥淩ed Ball of a Sun Slipping Down鈥� is his love story about a place. Everything and nothing has changed in the delta, which is also how Richards feels about his own life.
From the oldest to the newest images in this book, Richards鈥檚 commitment to embracing what is most difficult, and dignifying the people involved in that struggle, remains his most enduring contribution to both journalism and art.
Joanne Ciccarello is a former Monitor photo editor.
