Francis Picabia 1915

This portrait of Francis Picabia was taken by Alfred Stieglitz, sometime in the early 20th century. It's a gelatin silver print. Looking at Picabia, posed in a suit and bow tie, you sense a quiet intensity. What was Stieglitz thinking when he captured this image? Was he aiming to portray Picabia’s playful spirit or something deeper? Stieglitz, like a painter, uses light and shadow to shape his subject’s presence. The soft focus gives the photograph a painterly feel. It reminds us of the creative dialogues that were going on between painters and photographers at the time. The image quality creates a sense of intimacy, as if we're there in the room with Picabia. It makes me wonder about the conversations they had, the ideas they exchanged. Artists are always in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity.