Equivalent 1923

Editor: This is "Equivalent" by Alfred Stieglitz, made in 1923. It's a silver print on paper. I find it very calming; the gradations of grey are mesmerizing, and it feels quite abstract, even though I know they are photographs of clouds. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The formal qualities are indeed captivating. Observe the tonality – the exquisite range of greys achieved through the silver print process. It’s crucial to consider how Stieglitz employs light and shadow to sculpt the form. Editor: Right, I see that! How the light defines the clouds, giving them shape... it’s almost sculptural. Curator: Precisely! Notice, also, the composition; how the artist utilizes the picture plane to divide light and shadow. There is almost an attempt to depart from capturing something “real.” It asks us: what else do the forms remind us of? Do they suggest landscapes, figures? What’s important, though, is that such connections remain indeterminate. Editor: It's interesting that you mention what else the forms might suggest! It makes me think about Rorschach tests. Curator: Perhaps. It presents an engagement between representation and abstraction that is fundamental. By what compositional elements and choices of the artist does the work communicate its effect to the viewer? Editor: I hadn't considered it that way. It's about what the *art* is doing to *me*, not what I’m necessarily supposed to see within the image. It has an emotional effect and that comes from its composition. Curator: Yes, indeed! It encourages an active rather than passive engagement with the art object. I hope it allows you to consider the expressive potentials and communicative strategies within the art!