Sun over the Pacific (Devil's Slide)

Series Title: Jupiter Portfolio

1947

Light Gallery

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Culture

America

Medium

gelatin silver print

Measurements

Image: 18.2 x 25.2 cm (7 3/16 x 9 15/16 in.); Paper: 27.5 x 34.9 cm (10 13/16 x 13 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Mann 1986.221.1

Impression

This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Location

Not on view

Description

Minor White believed that an image could correspond to an inner state or feeling. In 1963 he wrote that a photograph could be experienced on three levels: the picture itself, the thoughts in the viewer's mind when seeing the photograph, and the experience of remembering the image later. In this sweeping panorama of the Pacific Ocean, the gradations of light and shadow on the rippled surface of the water and the band of dark clouds above serve as a dramatic foil for the radiance of the setting sun. The photograph suggests infinite space, yet its formal qualities—light, tone, and texture—are compelling on their own. White held an abiding interest in the fleeting effects of nature and the power of the environment to awe and inspire.