Equivalent 1931

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, called Equivalent, and we don't have a date for it. What's interesting to me is how Stieglitz makes clouds so painterly, capturing them in light and shadow. Thinking about the material aspects of this artwork, the grainy texture and high contrast create a sense of drama and dynamism. There's something about the silvery tones, they remind me of looking at a charcoal drawing. The dark, almost black, areas contrast sharply with the bright whites, creating a very graphic feel. See that one particularly luminous cloud, how it almost seems to glow from within? It feels like a metaphor for hope or inspiration, emerging from the darkness. I find myself thinking of Gerhard Richter's cloud paintings. Both artists, in their own way, capture the sublime in the everyday, reminding us that art is not just about representation but about feeling and experience.