Hodge Kirnon 1917

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print of Hodge Kirnon. I’m wondering, what was it like to be Hodge Kirnon? What was it like to be Alfred Stieglitz, framing this man through a lens? I mean, look at the way the light defines Kirnon's face, so smooth, so present! Stieglitz really knew how to use light and shadow, didn't he? There's such a stillness in this portrait, but there's also a quiet energy. Kirnon seems both vulnerable and strong. The placement of the hands tells us something about the sitter, and the pinstripes on the shirt draw your eye around the composition. Stieglitz, like all artists, was in conversation with other artists who were working at the time, and those who came before him. He learned and experimented. Now we look at his work and learn from him. It’s a beautiful thing, this exchange of ideas, this passing of the torch.