Analysis Of Eliot Porter's Photograph, Sunset On Colorado

Eliot Porter’s photograph, “Sunset on Colorado at Kane Creek, Glen Canyon, Utah, October 1960, appeared at Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas. The intended audience of this photograph is anyone who enjoys art but more specifically those who have a love for nature and all its splendor and beauty. The photo contains many different elements of nature including mountains, a rainbow, a body of water, and clouds. In my opinion, the main purpose of this photograph is to present the splendor of creation and nature but also to symbolically convey that there are light and beauty after a storm. I feel the photographers message through this picture is to not only portray the natural beauty of our world but I think there is a subtle hidden message in the picture that speaks to light and joy appearing after a time of darkness or a storm. The different perfectly proportioned elements that Porter was able to capture in one image struck me immediately. The main subject of the picture is the mountain because it stands out dramatically with the brightness of light that is shining on it. The rest of the picture is in a shadow, which adds to the standout effect of the mountains. Because of the shade that the rest of the picture is in, the color that dominates the most is the …show more content…
It brings questions to my mind if a storm had just subsided with the light and rainbow shining through. The combination of shade, light, and natural elements such as mountains, water, and a rainbow combined seem to present a pure innocent statement of the beauty of nature and all its elements. You can see in the background that the sky in the picture looks stormy with plenty of thick dark clouds painting the sky. The more I look at this photo the more it seems to be jumping out at me that the photographer may not have just been wanting to show a pretty picture of