LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One of Kentucky’s most renowned photographers will be honored by an exhibit of his work at the University of Louisville in April and May.
“Far from an Ordinary Man” will feature 25 photos by Ralph Eugene Meatyard. They will be on display in the Photographic Archives gallery in Ekstrom Library through May 31.
“Meatyard lived an ordinary life, but he was far from an ordinary man,” author Guy Davenport once said of the photographer.
A Lexington optician, Meatyard purchased his first camera in 1950 to photograph his young son. Within a decade he was nationally recognized as a promising art photographer.
Meatyard took the stuff of everyday life and created extraordinary moments. Children in hooded sweatshirts, figures in masks, his family and friends became universal symbols.
“Far from an Ordinary Man” includes works from Meatyard’s photographic series sound-motion, light on water, romances and the unforeseen wilderness. Between 1967 and 1971, the photographer collaborated with conservationist Wendell Berry to produce “The Unforeseen Wilderness,” a book about the Red River Gorge area along the Kentucky River.
In addition to the Meatyard photographs, the exhibit features nine photos by members of the Lexington Camera Club, of which Meatyard was a member from 1954 until his death in 1972.
The Photographic Archives gallery is on the ground floor of the Ekstrom Library, located on Belknap Campus. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, with hours extended to 8 p.m. Thursdays. For more information, call (502) 852-6752.