From the Back-Window—291 1915

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, From the Back-Window—291, using a camera and photographic paper, turning an everyday scene into something contemplative. Just imagine him at the window, watching snow settle on the roofs and fire escapes. There is a stillness to the photograph, a quiet that speaks to the solitude of the artist, and the stillness of the city in the snow. The monochrome adds to the ethereal quality, like a memory fading at the edges. I see the influence of painting here, particularly the atmospheric studies of artists like Whistler. It’s as though Stieglitz is using the camera to paint with light, to capture a mood as much as a scene. The rooftops and fire escapes become abstract forms and shapes, the snow softening the harsh edges. He takes something ordinary and transforms it into something beautiful and evocative. It makes you consider the artist's role as a visionary, seeing beyond the surface to find beauty in the mundane.