From the Back-Window "291" Snow-Covered Tree, Back-Yard 1915

Alfred Stieglitz took this photograph of a snow-covered tree, seen from a back window, sometime in the early 20th century. The stark black and white tones give the impression of a quick sketch. I imagine Stieglitz, peering through the glass, struck by the stark geometry of the branches against the dark sky. What’s so cool is how he transformed a simple backyard scene into something abstract. The composition almost dissolves into pure texture, a network of lines and shapes. I can imagine him thinking about how to translate three dimensions into two, grappling with light and shadow to convey depth and form. The photograph reminds me of the paintings of Mondrian, especially his trees, each one a distillation of form. Maybe Stieglitz was thinking about something similar, how to get to the essence of a tree, its structure, its bones. It feels like a conversation across mediums, each artist riffing on similar ideas, trying to get at something fundamental about the world.