From the Back-Window—291 1915

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, probably in New York City, using a camera and photographic paper. It's not a painting, of course, but it is a picture, and it shows what is outside his window. I can only imagine what it must have been like for Stieglitz to be standing there, late at night, looking out. Is it raining, is it snowing? He’s got his camera, and he's trying to capture the mood and atmosphere. And what is that squiggle of light in the distance? The tonal range is so narrow, it’s almost like a charcoal drawing or a wash. This feels intimate, like a diary entry—a sketch from life. It reminds me of James Whistler's nocturnes, or even some of the early dark, brooding paintings of Gerhard Richter. Artists are always in conversation with one another; they leave clues for us to find.