At times, it is hard to single out a particular picture, sculpture, etc. that would give me the ultimate visceral response. As I thought long and hard about what gives me that stupefying sensation, I was reminded of an image I would see every day when I would walk out my house growing up in Salt Lake City, Utah. That image is of Mount Olympus.
I am not a particularly "out-doorsy" person and you can ask my wife to verify. I will go hiking, camping, etc. with her because it makes her happy. It is ironic that the image I chose just happens to be of nature itself.
One day, I came across this image taken by Doug Pulsipher of Mount Olympus. When I first saw it, the image had stopped me in my tracks. Though it is a simple and basic picture of Mount Olympus, it spoke to me. It showed me in every way, shape and form why I had come to love this view. To me it represented my home. The park where this image was taken is right down the street from my parent's home. It flooded me with memories of experiences that had taken place at the foot of this majestic beast. In my mind, it represented my childhood, teenage years, and early adulthood. It was the image of home that I kept in my head as I lived in England for two years. It is the first thing I look for as I come around the point of the mountain into the Salt Lake Valley.
Putting my memories aside for just a moment, I want to try to describe how the picture itself speaks to me: what I notice when look at the details of the picture. First, the color. I identify four main colors that play a role in why this is stupefying for me: green for the grass, a differently-shaded brown for Mount Olympus, a perfect shade of blue for the sky and the small amount of white for the snow in the upper left portion of the picture. None of these colors on their own are profound but together make something appear beautiful. My absolute favorite time of year in Salt Lake is when the valley is starting to prepare for fall, the mountain begins to change colors and the highest part of the mountain has been lightly sprinkled with snow.
There are two dominant lines in the photo, which stand out to me more than any others in this picture. The lines come from the top portion of the mountain where you see the two peeks running parallel to each other at a reverse 45 degree angle. I do also notice the lines running through the mountain, giving the mountain a 3-D effect. I also see the lines on the pavilion. I can see the thick lines of the pillars holding the canopy part of the pavilion up. You have the horizontal lines right above the pillars that are tightly knit together, giving it a soft and smooth visual. You then have the jagged lines from the top of the pavilion shooting upwards.
The final aspect of the picture is the idea of space. From where this image is taken, it would take about 15 minutes to get to the base of the mountain; to give some context to those who have never been to this area of the state. When you look at the picture, the trees are used wisely. They almost bring the mountain closer. What I mean by this is if the picture was taken in front of those trees, there would be a whole lot of space in this picture. I also like the infinite space provided by the clear sky. There are no clouds to limit/stop the concept of space.
I love this picture and I know that beauty can be found everywhere. To me, Mount Olympus is stupefying.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=93987&page=203
