Songs of the Sky A9 1923

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, "Songs of the Sky A9," with a camera, of course, capturing light as it filters through clouds. Look at the way those clouds seem to tumble and churn. I can imagine Stieglitz, eyes fixed upward, waiting for the perfect moment. The light is so dramatic, cutting through the darkness, creating these incredible beams. It's like a divine spotlight, right? What was he thinking as he framed this shot? Was he trying to capture a fleeting feeling, a spiritual connection to the world? I see some of the abstract expressionists in this photograph. You know, the way they used light and shadow to evoke emotion, like Rothko’s blocks of color or Newman’s zips, but here, nature does the work. Artists are always in conversation, aren't they? Stieglitz, Rothko, Newman – each one inspiring the next to see the world in a new way. Painting, photography – it's all just a way of trying to capture the uncapturable, to make sense of the chaos and beauty around us.