Jean Toomer 1925

Here is a silver gelatin print of Jean Toomer by Alfred Stieglitz. I imagine Stieglitz behind his camera, coaxing something essential from the writer, Toomer. Look at the light, how it models his face, the planes of his cheeks, the set of his jaw. You can see a certain determination in the line of his mouth. I imagine Stieglitz knew exactly what he wanted to capture. A meeting of minds, a mutual respect, something in the way Toomer carried himself, perhaps. There is a strong gaze, a sense of directness in the stare that suggests confidence, intelligence, but also perhaps a hint of melancholy. Painters are image hunters, too, borrowing ideas, reinventing ways of seeing. I wonder if Toomer ever saw this, and what he thought of how Stieglitz saw him. It is this dance between artists that keeps the conversation going. We’re all looking at each other, trying to figure it out.