The Color of Wildness: A Retrospective 1936-1985

About this book

Eliot Porter: The Color of Wildness is the first in-depth retrospective of Porters work. Over the course of his long career Porter has photographed familiar landscapes like the coast of Maine where he spent childhood summers as well as well as strange remote places like the Galapagos Islands. With the success of his Sierra Club publication In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World Selections and Photographs by Eliot Porter (1962) Porter became an ambassador for environmental causes. His ecological interests led to a fascination with humanitys cultural roots. An essay by curator John Rohrbach addresses Porters break with the classical techniques of the master Modernists Paul Strand and Ansel Adams. An essay by Porters son Jonathan who often accompanied his father on photographic expeditions discusses Porters lifelong love of the natural world his working methods and his interests outside of photography. Rebecca Solnits essay positions Porters work within the environmental movement and the political climate of the 1960s. Porters images ... are secure in the history of the medium and contribute to the highest standards and achievements of the art. --Ansel Adams