Lake George c. 1926

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print, "Lake George," with a camera, of course. But doesn't it look like it was made with charcoal and brush? Those clouds—all inky and roiling, they have such a material presence. I can imagine Stieglitz out there, squinting at the sky, trying to capture the fleeting drama of the weather. The lone tree seems to bow under the weight of the sky, a silent witness to the atmospheric ballet. It's not just a picture of clouds; it’s about light and shadow and mood. It's like he's trying to bottle the feeling of standing there, of feeling the air change. Even though it's a photograph, it reminds me of Constable's cloud studies, how he tried to capture the sky's restless energy. And isn’t that what we all are trying to do as artists, wrestling with our materials to find a way to express our inner weather?