Songs of the Sky P4 1923

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print titled ‘Songs of the Sky P4’, and it's a real exercise in seeing. It looks like a tree, right? But it's also clouds, and that play between solid and vaporous, between the grounded and the ethereal, is what grabs me. Look at how the light catches the edges of the leaves, or are they clouds? - creating these little bursts of white against the dark mass. It's like he's painting with light, building up this incredible texture that feels both delicate and strong. The high contrast, the way he's pushed the tones to almost pure black and white, gives it this graphic punch, like a woodcut or something. And the composition, this vertical thrust of the tree against the sky, it’s so simple, yet so powerful. I think of Georgia O'Keeffe, his wife and a great artist in her own right. Both were looking for ways to capture the essence of something, whether it’s a flower or a sky, and to make it sing. It's a reminder that art isn't about capturing reality, but about creating a new one.