Alfred Stieglitz

~Ashley Holder~Photo 2

Steiglitz Story Time• 1864 – 1946• American

Photographer• Born in New Jersey• Married Georgia

O'Keeffe (1924)• Schooled in

Germany as an engineer

Self-Portrait, 1907. Autochrome. 6 11/16 x 4 11/16 in.

Georgia O’Keeffe, 1921. Palladium Print. 5 4/6 x 3 5/8 in.

From the Back Window, 291, 1915. Platinum Print. 9 7/8 x 7 15/16 in.

Equivalent, 1926. Gelatin Silver Print. 4 5/8 x 3 5/8 in.

Stieglitz Story Time• Supported modern American artists and

gave notice to 20th century European modernism

An influence displayed in his work

• Photo-Secession Group (1902)The craftsmanship in photography was the main focus

• Photography is just as capable of artistic expression as sculpture or painting

• Changed the view of photography as a medium not only for professionals

The Dancing Trees, 1922. Palladium Print. 9 7/16 x 7 ½ in.

From My Window at An American Place, North, 1931. Gelatin Silver Print. 9 9/16 x 7 ½ in.

Georgia O’Keeffe—Hands, 1917. Satista Print. 8 ½ x 6 ¾ in.

Stieglitz Story Time• Influenced by Cubism• Captured many images from the

windows of his home, galleries, and hotels

• Supported photographers and artists such as:

Paul Strand, Charles Sheeler, Edward Steichen, and many more

Music—A Sequence of Ten Cloud Photographs, No. VII, 1922. Gelatin Silver Print. 9 7/16 x 7 5/8 in.

Poplars—Lake George, 1932. Silver Gelatin Developed-out Print. 9 3/8 x 7 ½ in.

Shadows in Lake, 1916. Gelatin Silver Print. 4 7/16 x 3 ½ in.

Stieglitz Story Time• Always his own man• Devoted his time to his art galleries in

the final years of his lifeAnderson Galleries, 1921-25; The Intimate Gallery, 1925-29; An American Place, 1929-46

• Therefore he hardly photographed for his last decade

• Lived through two World Wars, the Great Depression and America’s transition into industrialization

Songs of the Sky, 1924. Gelatin Silver Print. 4 11/16 x 3 5/8 in.

A Criticism of The Flatiron

The Flatiron, 1903. Photogravure. 12 7/8 x 6 9/16 in.

Description• A tree in the

foreground with snow b/w the branches

• More trees covered in snow, benches, snow covered road, and two people on the middle ground

• A side view of the Flatiron building in the background

Analysis• Black and white• Clear range of value• The Flatiron on the left

and the tree on the right create balance

• There’s an emphasis on the tree

• Strong sense of lineThe tree in the foreground leads your eye to the building behind it

Interpretation• Clearly the photo is

of the Flatiron, but he chose to capture it from afar

• Oh hey there is a building in the background

• An appreciation of the unique structure

Different approach than Steichen

Judgment• This is a

successful piece• Uses elements

and principles to focus the viewer’s eye on the subject

• Composition did not happen by accident

Stieglitz Story Time Review

• Name one movement that influenced Stieglitz.

Answer

• What group did he form?Answer

• Who was Alfred Stieglitz’s wife?Answer

Citations• "Alfred Stieglitz: Equivalent (49.55.29)". In Heilbrunn Timeline

of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/49.55.29 (October 2006)

• "Alfred Stieglitz: From the Back Window, 291 (49.55.35)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/49.55.35 (October 2006)

• "Alfred Stieglitz: Georgia O'Keeffe (1997.61.19)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1997.61.19 (October 2006)

• "From My Window at An American Place, North - Literature." National Gallery of Art. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=36358&detail=lit>.

• "Georgia O'Keeffe." National Gallery of Art. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=60150>.

• "Georgia O'Keeffe--Hands." National Gallery of Art. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=59979>.

Citations Cont.• Hostetler, Lisa. "Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946) and American

Photography". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/stgp/hd_stgp.htm (October 2004)

• "Music--A Sequence of Ten Cloud Photographs, No. VII." National Gallery of Art. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=35986>.

• "Poplars--Lake George." National Gallery of Art. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=35880>.

• "Shadows in Lake." National Gallery of Art. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=35533>.

• "Songs of the Sky." National Gallery of Art. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=36068>.

• "The Dancing Trees." National Gallery of Art. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=35627>.

• "The Flatiron." National Gallery of Art. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=35423>.