Songs of the Sky W3 or Equivalent W3 c. 1923 - 1929

Alfred Stieglitz captured these clouds with a camera, transforming the sky into a song on paper. I love how Stieglitz approaches photography like painting – all those shades of gray, layered and blurred, creating depth and atmosphere. Look at the way the light filters through the clouds. See how the texture shifts from soft, billowy forms to sharp, defined edges? It reminds me of the way I build up layers of paint in my own work, letting the under layers peek through to create a sense of history and depth. That dark patch in the center feels like a void, a space of pure potential, like the first mark on a blank canvas. Like his contemporary, Georgia O'Keeffe, Stieglitz was trying to capture something essential and universal about the world, a feeling or a mood rather than a literal representation. For me, these photos open up endless possibilities for interpretation.