Accession Number
1987/1.252.1

Title
Lotus Blossoms and Azolla, West Lake, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 1980

Artist(s)
Eliot Porter

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1980

Medium & Support
dye transfer print on paper

Dimensions
17 1/2 in x 14 1/8 in (44.45 cm x 35.88 cm);22 3/16 in x 18 1/8 in (56.36 cm x 46.04 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Clayton E. Wilhite

Subject matter
Photographed while looking down at a lakeside, this photograph shows an expanse of aqueous plants sprouting up from the freshwater shore. The water’s surface is covered with a film of thousands of tiny green leaves, out from which shoot the stems and fronds of other plants. The large, plate-like leaves of the lotus plant flop and tilt throughout the image, their silken surfaces dappled with pink droplets of water, which shine like gems across their surfaces. Punctuating this field of greens, jades, and emeralds are a few scattered lotus blossoms with brilliant pink petals. The downward angle of this photograph evokes a contemplative view of this quiet scene, which offers microcosmic perspective of this ecosystem.

Physical Description
This photograph depicts a view looking down at a lakeshore teeming with aquatic plants and flowers.

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
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Keywords
Lotus (genus)
Plants
aquatic environments
flowers
lakes
lakes (bodies of water)
lotus
lotus (plant, general)
modern and contemporary art
natural landscapes
nature photography
water gardens