The "American" Meyer

Of Meyer's "American" images, perhaps the most significant are his meditations on California, its importance as the embodiment of the nation's ideals (and, of course, the failure to live up to those ideals). "Plantation, El Centro California 1987 / 1992" depicts a plain of richly plowed earth, with furrows running across the frame as a series of horizontal lines. In the distance, a row of lush palm trees marks the edge of the field, drawing the eye to the horizon. In the foreground, the back of a child's head takes the perspective of the viewer, gazing along the single vertical path leading to the palm trees.

Taken as a whole, the image stirs curiosity, asking questions about the ownership and control of this cultivated bounty, which is, after all, another kind of idealized construction. "The Lady and Her Servants" (1979), an earlier picture with a similar theme (taken in Mexico), poses an aristocratic woman in front of three immaculately dressed servants, who stand rigidly at attention. Clearly, Meyer is offering a commentary on class relations, although his attitude is possibly more ironic than heavyhanded.

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