Dead Bird

In 1950, Ralph Eugene Meatyard purchased a camera from his employer, an optical firm in Lexington, Kentucky, in order to photograph his newborn son. From that time until his premature death from cancer, Meatyard declared himself a "dedicated amateur," creating a body of work that reflected his fascination with the camera as both a tool of scientific vision and a means for metaphoric discovery. Meatyard photographed the countryside around his home in central Kentucky, always on the lookout for "The Strange." He was one of the first contemporary photographers to inventively explore psychologically charged subject matter, content, and narrative. He was drawn to mysticism and created images in which odd, disjointed objects are combined to convey a sense of enigma. Dead and preserved birds were a favorite prop. Used here, ensnared within the branches of a tree, the bird contributes to Meatyard’s creation of a macabre, richly symbolic image.