From My Window at the Shelton, West 1931

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, *From My Window at the Shelton, West*, using gelatin silver print. The silvery grays feel so delicate, almost like a whisper of light on paper. The whole picture is built from a layering of tones, each shade carefully placed to create depth and form. You can almost feel the way Stieglitz was thinking, seeing the world as a series of shapes and textures, not just buildings, but almost like musical notes or abstract forms. Look at the way the light catches the edges of the buildings, creating these sharp, angular lines. The detail reminds me of Cubism, or even early abstract painting. The texture is smooth, almost silky. It makes you want to reach out and touch the image, to feel the cool surface of the photograph against your skin. The way the light defines the architecture, it is almost like an early iteration of some of the starker images of the New Topographics photographers. Stieglitz’s work shows how art is always looking, learning, and speaking to itself across time. It is an ongoing dialogue, full of questions and uncertainties.