Artist Biography:
Eliot Porter's (American, 1901–1990) rich and detailed color photographs elevated the medium of landscape photography to a fine art. Trained as a chemical engineer and a medical doctor at Harvard University, Porter rose to fame as a photographer after Alfred Stieglitz exhibited Porter's work at An American Place Gallery in New York in 1939. Porter was unique to his time, working with color film while his contemporaries worked solely in black and white. In 1962, he stated his belief that color photographs offered "a new dimension in the perception and representation of nature in photography." Porter and the Sierra Club published the now famous "In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World", which played an important role in the conservation movement of the 1960s. Porter's work is collected by museums worldwide and, in 1990, Porter bequeathed his entire archive to the Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas.

About the Work:
In 1979, The Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibited Intimate Landscapes (from which this present portfolio derives), making history as the first one-person show of color photography. This exhibition of Porter's series, now part of the Metropolitan’s collection, earned Porter international praise but also brought credibility to the art of color photography. These works capture the intimacy in nature: an eroded brook, flowers struggling to grow between rocks and a blazing red autumn tree. Usually unavailable as separate pieces, this is a rare opportunity to collect part of this ground-breaking series.

Market Information:
While Porter is not as well known as his contemporary Ansel Adams, ArtyCyle believes he will be soon. Porter took a different approach than Adams, focusing on the details in nature and exploring his subject with a painter's palate of sublime color. Porter chose to print these beautiful works as Dye Transfer Prints. This process, as purists know, allows for the largest color gamut and tonal scale. It is also extremely stable and takes many years to fade or discolor. Unfortunately, this superior process is becoming extinct as the chemicals and skills are no longer readily available. Both connoisseurs and the uninitiated will easily appreciate these prints.

Works from Intimate Landscapes Portfolio, 1979
Dye-Transfer Prints, mounted on board
13 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
Edition of 250
Signed in pencil on verso
$1,500-$2,500 each