On the Dykes Possibly 1894 - 1934

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, 'On the Dykes,' using gelatin silver. The image feels quiet, the boat and its reflection are like a single brushstroke through water. I wonder if he felt like he was painting when he took this picture? Maybe he noticed how the clouds mirror the water, and the dark sail echoes the dark banks of the dyke. It’s all tonal balance, this photograph. I love how the sail is angled – it pulls your eye upward. Was he thinking about movement, about how the boat cuts through the water? Or was it just the light, the way it caught the sail? Sometimes, you know, a gesture is just a gesture, but then it can also be everything. Painters and photographers: we're all just trying to make sense of what we see, trying to capture a moment.