Equivalent, from Set A (Third Set, Print 7) 1929

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print, "Equivalent, from Set A", at a time when photography was still fighting for its place as art. It's a cloudscape, but it’s also about Stieglitz’s feelings, a metaphor, and a meditation on the act of seeing. The blacks and whites are so rich, almost velvety, and the way the light filters through the clouds is incredible. Look at the way the clouds swirl and dance. It's like he's captured a fleeting moment and made it eternal. The texture is amazing; you can almost feel the wind and the moisture in the air. It’s about light, atmosphere, and emotion. I’m reminded of Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings, in that both artists aimed to find abstract forms in natural subjects that could stand in for, or be ‘equivalent’ to, the artists innermost feelings. It's a conversation between different art forms, isn't it? This piece reminds us that art isn't about answers, it’s about the questions.