Georgia O'Keeffe 1927

This is a photograph of Georgia O’Keeffe, made by Alfred Stieglitz sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. Look at this portrait – it’s about tone and light, how Stieglitz coaxes out the subtleties in the grayscale, how he uses the form of O’Keeffe’s face in profile. The photograph feels so grounded. O’Keeffe’s hair is pulled back, and her gaze is cast slightly upwards. There is something so elegant about the curve of her neck, the slope of her nose, and the shadows beneath her cheek. The details are so crisp and defined, and yet they are somehow soft at the same time. Stieglitz’s work reminds me a bit of Edward Weston, another photographer from that time who had a keen eye for detail. Both of these artists embraced photography's capacity for realism but also found a way to infuse their work with an emotional depth that feels very modern, still. Art is a conversation, a back and forth. This photo is a part of it.