Crow's Feather and Apple 1924

Alfred Stieglitz captured this striking photograph, ‘Crow’s Feather and Apple.’ It's an exercise in contrast, but also a subtle conversation between symbols. Consider the apple, a motif laden with associations. In Western culture, it evokes the Garden of Eden, a symbol of temptation, knowledge, and the fall of man. But here, it's juxtaposed with a crow’s feather. Crows, often linked to omens or transformation, suggest the apple might represent more than just original sin. The apple is also a symbol in art. Think of Cezanne’s apples, where the ordinary is elevated. Here, the feather disrupts this, imbuing it with a different kind of symbolism. It reminds us of the cyclical nature of symbols—how they are reborn, altered, and charged with new emotional weight across time. This photograph invites a deeper, subconscious interpretation, beyond the surface-level simplicity.