One of the most striking features of this portait is the sky in the top portion of the picture. It is a bright sky which seems much like the sky in pictures of heaven.  This seems to imply Columbus's mission was helped by a sort of divine intervention.  Columbus's ship is on the bright horizon heading towards the shoreline, and its pure white sails are quite visible.  All of this light imagery provides a very stark contrast to the shore which looks darkly ominous.  The natives are off-center, and their faces are not visible.  This dehumanizes them and likens the natives to animals in the jungle.  The natives are wearing dark colors, which is more light/dark imagery implying an evil and primal air about them.  None of the signs of the native culture are shown here either.  It is just the natives standing in the middle of the jungle.  None of their houses, weapons, or art is shown, which makes them seem like an inferior culture to the Spanish view.  The true native perspective seems to have just been glossed over by a narrow-minded American artist.