Georgia O'Keeffe 1918

This is a portrait of Georgia O'Keeffe made by Alfred Stieglitz, and the tones here seem to melt into one another. It feels as though it was made in one go, a process of continuous, intuitive development. The image is rendered in tones of grey and brown. The surface texture of the photograph appears smooth but with visible gradations, emphasizing subtle tonal shifts across O’Keeffe’s skin and clothing. Look how the delicate lighting creates a soft, almost dreamlike quality. This treatment softens the starkness of the nude form. It almost feels like you can see right through her, like the light is coming from behind her. Stieglitz’s approach reminds me a little of Edward Steichen who was working around the same time. Both were very aware of the dialogue between painting and photography, each medium informing the other. This photograph embraces ambiguity, inviting us to see O’Keeffe in multiple ways.