Georgia O'Keeffe—Exhibition at An American Place 1931 - 1932

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print, of an exhibition of Georgia O’Keeffe’s work, at An American Place gallery. The choice of photography as a medium is very important here. While O’Keeffe was working with oil paint on canvas to create her art, Stieglitz used photographic paper and darkroom techniques to capture the moment of her exhibition. Photography, at that time, was still a relatively new medium, often associated with documentation and mass production. Stieglitz was trying to claim it as an artistic medium in its own right. Look closely at the tonal range he achieves, from deep blacks to luminous grays. These tones not only describe the scene, but also imbue the space with a sense of atmosphere and depth. The gelatin silver printing process allowed for sharp details and a wide range of tones, which Stieglitz expertly used to capture the texture of the walls, the frames, and the paintings themselves. By focusing on the interplay between the paintings and the gallery space, Stieglitz elevated the status of photography, asserting its potential to capture and interpret the world with the same artistic sensitivity as painting.