Poplar—Lake George 1936

Editor: Here we have Alfred Stieglitz's "Poplar—Lake George," a gelatin-silver print from 1936. The stark monochrome gives it a rather eerie, almost abstract feel. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see Stieglitz engaging with the material reality of the modern landscape, focusing on the physical presence of the trees and the photographic process itself. Consider the labor involved: the planting and tending of the trees, the industrial production of photographic materials, and Stieglitz's own work in manipulating the silver gelatin to achieve this particular effect. How does the monochrome choice influence your perception of this landscape as a commodity or an art object? Editor: I suppose the lack of color flattens it somewhat, almost making it more about texture than representation. It feels… manufactured, I guess. Curator: Precisely. Stieglitz isn't simply capturing a scene; he's using photography to analyze the changing relationship between humans and the natural world, especially considering how technology and industrialization mediate that relationship. What kind of statement do you think he is making about how modern life affects, and perhaps even alienates us from, the landscape? Editor: So, he's using the photo, the final material object, to comment on broader social changes, especially how the act of creating a photo—that labor—impacts our understanding of the world? I hadn't considered that. It’s less a picture of trees, and more about the systems that bring that picture to us. Curator: Exactly. Thinking about art this way highlights that art objects are never separate from these socio-economic and technological systems. Editor: Thanks, it gives me a whole new perspective on how to interpret photography.