History has had its share of the John Wayne, Wyatt Earp and Jesse James types. Popular film culture has encouraged us to associate these legendary figures with cowboy culture, resulting in a distorted perspective of the modern American cowboy. Master of Fine Arts candidate Ulrich Eigner has attempted to confront these misconceptions through his latest project, "The Myths of the American Cowboy.
" Uli, as he prefers to be called when referring to his photography and work, explores the lesser-known and often over-looked aspects of today's real-life cowboys. Through photographs taken from several states, including North and South Dakota, Texas, Missouri and Illinois, Eigner provides an in-depth look at the lives of men and women who are pursuing the path of the American cowboy. "My show addresses the myth of the cowboy and how that myth plays into contemporary life," he explained.
The photographs seek to unravel the shroud of misunderstandings that surround the cowboy community. Contrary to the common misconceptions of robust men wearing chaps and wielding a lasso, the image of the modern cowboy is far different. "The Myths of the American Cowboy" is actually Eigner's thesis show, the final step for MFA students before completing their degree.
The show is currently being displayed at the Transpace Art Gallery in Uptown Normal. "Every MFA student completes his or her degree with a thesis show. Rather than writing a thesis like in the social sciences, we, as studio artists, have to put up a show on a theme that we have extensively worked on," Eigner explained.
Beyond studio work, the thesis proposal is perhaps the most critical part of the review process that graduate students go through. In addition to writing the thesis paper, Eigner will also have to present his project before a committee of faculty members. A year's worth of preparation will come down to this one decisive moment.
"The pressure is not all too different from a show outside of the university. The only difference is that I have to defend it in front of my committee, but given that I have extensively worked and thought about the subject matter, that should not be a big problem," Eigner said. Eigner has done extensive work on his current project.
Over the past year, Eigner traveled to other states to observe the lifestyles of modern cowboys, touring ranches, homes and rodeos. Eigner ended up taking just under 900 photographs on the theme.
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