Georgia O'Keeffe c. 1933

This black and white photograph of Georgia O'Keefe was taken by Alfred Stieglitz, it's a small, intimate portrait. I think what’s interesting here is the contrast between the smooth skin of her face, and the rough, textured wood. Her face, caught in profile, shows an amazing kind of concentration. You get a sense that she's deeply thinking. Then there's the wood, which has this rough, tactile quality. It’s like a still life behind her, but it is stacked in an informal way which gives a sense of immediacy and naturalism to the shot. Stieglitz made many photographs of O’Keeffe throughout their relationship, each showing different aspects of her personality. But here, you get the sense of a thoughtful, strong person, someone deeply connected to the natural world around her. It reminds me of the work of Edward Weston, who was also exploring a similar kind of stark beauty. Art is always a conversation across time, right?