Georgia O'Keeffe—Hands and Horse Skull 1931

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, Georgia O'Keeffe—Hands and Horse Skull, using gelatin silver print, and it's a real study in contrasts. The textures here are so tactile, even though it's just a photograph. You've got the smooth, almost polished look of the skull playing against the soft, fleshy hands. Look at how the light catches the planes of the skull, creating these deep shadows that give it weight and presence, and how that contrasts with the more diffused light on the hands. It's like Stieglitz is sculpting with light and shadow, turning a simple composition into something that feels really alive. The fingers are almost dancing on the surface. I can’t help but think about how much Georgia O'Keeffe explored similar themes of life, death, and the body in her painting, perhaps suggesting the exchange of ideas between them. For me, art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth between artists and ideas across time.