Georgia O'Keeffe 1924

Here’s a photograph of Georgia O'Keeffe by Alfred Stieglitz, its small and intimate and feels so immediate. The image is made up of subtle shades, as Stieglitz plays with light and shadow, turning what would have been a colour photograph into something more subtle. I love the way that the textures seem to pop: from the wool of the coat, to the leaves that O'Keeffe is holding. The leaves are the real focus here, their shapes echoed in the curve of her hat and the set of her jaw. Look closely at the way Stieglitz has captured the veins of the leaves, each one a tiny map. It makes me think of Charles Demuth, another artist in Stieglitz's circle, who also blurred the boundary between photography and painting. These are artists who find beauty in simplicity and everyday objects, using their art to elevate the mundane to the monumental.