Georgia O'Keeffe—Hands 1918

Curator: This gelatin silver print, simply titled *Hands*, was captured by Alfred Stieglitz in 1918. Immediately, what does it evoke for you? Editor: There's an ethereal quality; the stark lighting gives a sense of almost spiritual yearning. The hands, slightly out of focus, seem to reach for something just beyond the frame. Curator: Absolutely. Stieglitz’s choice of subject, and indeed his overall aesthetic, were deeply intertwined with the artistic currents of modernism and the burgeoning fascination with psychoanalysis during that period. Hands often represent expression, creativity, connection, and sometimes, a reaching for something unattainable, all resonating with modernist explorations of the inner self. Editor: It's interesting you mention creativity, given the period. Considering his close, albeit complicated, relationship with Georgia O'Keeffe, whose own works celebrated nature and the body, it makes me wonder if the image served as some reflection of his feelings about this bond? I am seeing how such an intimate portrayal was presented to the public? Curator: His intention may have indeed carried traces of his intimacy with O’Keeffe; Stieglitz often explored themes of gender and identity through visual metaphors, particularly his photographs. While presented to the public, Stieglitz meticulously controlled their exhibition and circulation. He would utilize his own galleries, promoting certain interpretations of his work that solidified his, and by extension, O’Keeffe’s artistic stature in cultural memory. Editor: So, it's a dialogue in light and shadow, a moment frozen, pregnant with potential interpretations and societal power play? Curator: Exactly. In its stark simplicity, the image invites ongoing conversations. Editor: It really shows that even with an ostensibly simple photograph, there are layers upon layers to dissect about history and its symbolic language. Curator: True, and in doing so, it illuminates how an artwork echoes its cultural origins as much as it sparks individual reactions.