Poplar—Lake George 1937

This is Alfred Stieglitz’s photograph, ‘Poplar—Lake George.’ The solitary tree shoots upward, a stark mark against the sky. It kind of reminds me of those times when you’re facing a blank canvas, and that first gesture, tentative but bold, sets the tone for everything that follows. I can imagine Stieglitz carefully framing the shot, considering the light, the contrast, waiting for that perfect moment to capture the essence of the scene. There's this tension between the natural and the man-made; those power lines cutting across the sky, and the wildness of the landscape. He’s not just documenting a tree; he’s capturing a feeling, a mood. And it makes me think about how we, as artists, are always in conversation with each other, with the world, and with ourselves, trying to make sense of it all, one gesture at a time.