Equivalent 1930

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print, Equivalent, sometime in the first half of the 20th century. Look how the feathery marks of the clouds stretch and bend across the frame. I can almost feel the wind that shaped them. Stieglitz was interested in finding equivalents in the world around him for his inner feelings, and the way he plays with light and shadow in this image is really evocative. The contrast is so strong. It feels like the clouds are emerging from the darkness itself. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on in the lower section, but the darkness is punctuated by these tiny, glowing marks that provide a grounding, even as they are obscured. It reminds me of the way Joan Mitchell uses light to punctuate her fields of colour. Like Mitchell, Stieglitz shows us how the most basic elements, like light and shadow, can carry profound emotional weight. It all adds up to a feeling, something that transcends the literal depiction of clouds.