Georgia O'Keeffe c. 1924

This photograph of Georgia O’Keeffe was shot by Alfred Stieglitz, although the date is unknown. What strikes me here is the contrast between the sharp focus on O’Keeffe’s face and the soft, blurred sketch she’s holding. Look closely at that sketch, those smudgy, ambiguous forms. There is a hint of a horizon, maybe a body, but nothing is fixed, everything seems to be in a state of becoming. The photograph isn't just a portrait; it's a conversation about artmaking. The crispness of the photo emphasizes the softness of the drawing. The paper O’Keeffe is holding is like a screen onto which we can project our own ideas. Maybe it’s a landscape, maybe it's a figure, it could be anything. Like the work of John Cage, it reminds us that art is not about answers, but about asking questions, embracing the unknown.