Songs of the Sky or Equivalent 1923 - 1927

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, Songs of the Sky, with gelatin silver. What I love about this image is how Stieglitz has turned the sky into a canvas of pure emotion. Look at the contrast! The dark, brooding clouds against the bright, almost hopeful, lighter patches. It's like he's captured a moment of intense drama, but also a sense of peace. See how the clouds swirl and blend? It reminds me of the way paint moves on a canvas, how each stroke builds on the last to create something new and unexpected. The tones are all grey, from the deepest charcoal to the lightest silver. There's a sense of experimentation here, a willingness to let the materials speak for themselves. Think about Gerhard Richter, and his cloudscapes, how he also looked to the sky for something that can’t be easily grasped. For Stieglitz, it's not just about the clouds themselves, but about the feeling they evoke, a fleeting moment of beauty and wonder.