Donald Davidson c. 1922

Alfred Stieglitz captured this close-up portrait of Donald Davidson with his camera, achieving a subtle, tonal range with a sepia palette. You can almost feel Stieglitz circling his subject, searching for the angle that best captures Davidson’s essence; perhaps he was considering how Davidson’s brow furrowed in thought, what his gaze might reveal. The composition offers a glimpse into Davidson’s inner world, the fine lines etched by time and contemplation. As a fellow artist, I imagine Stieglitz directing the shot and the subject, shaping the light with a cloth, holding his breath to steady his hand and still time. It reminds me of Holbein’s portraits of the Tudor court – not in style but intention – each artist seeking to capture the essence of their sitter, engaging in a visual dialogue that transcends time. Stieglitz has left us a work that celebrates humanism. It inspires and invites us to ponder the infinite possibilities of representation.