Georgia O'Keeffe 1918

This is a photo of Georgia O’Keeffe by Alfred Stieglitz, likely made with a large format camera and a gelatin silver process. It’s monochrome, tending towards the darker end of the tonal scale, and cropped in close on the subject. I imagine Stieglitz setting up his camera, adjusting the light, asking O’Keeffe to hold still, and I wonder what they were thinking at this moment? Was there tension in the air or a quiet understanding? O’Keeffe is holding a posy of wilting leaves. It is a beautiful study of her face and a record of her knit sweater, of the way she holds her neck, the set of her chin, and the shadows under her eyes. The image feels intimate, like a secret shared between the artist and his muse, a moment captured in time. It reminds me of other portraits by artists like Alice Neel or Marlene Dumas, where the sitter's personality shines through the surface. Artists are always inspiring each other to make new and interesting art.