Rebecca Salsbury Strand 1922

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print, Rebecca Salsbury Strand, to capture the interplay of light and form. His approach is about seeing and feeling, not just recording. The texture here is incredible, almost palpable; the way the light glistens on the skin. Look at the drops of water, each a tiny lens refracting the world. It's like he's painting with light, building up these sensual forms with shades of gray. There's a tension between abstraction and figuration, where the body becomes a landscape, a topography of curves and planes. It reminds me of Edward Weston's nudes, but with a softer edge. Both artists were pushing the boundaries of photography as an art form, exploring how the camera could capture not just what is seen, but also what is felt. Ultimately, art is about opening up possibilities, not closing them down.