Ellen Koeniger, Lake George 1916

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, “Ellen Koeniger, Lake George,” at some point in his career, capturing a moment of light and form in gelatin silver. The image has a subdued palette of silvery greys, with the darks and lights creating a sense of depth and texture. I wonder what Stieglitz was thinking when he made this? Maybe he was trying to capture the ephemeral quality of light reflecting on the water or the way the figure emerges from the lake, becoming one with the landscape. There’s a tactile quality to this print, isn’t there? You can almost feel the cool water on your skin, or the smoothness of the wooden ladder. It reminds me of other artists of his time who were exploring abstraction by capturing fleeting moments in nature. Think Georgia O’Keeffe, for example. Ultimately, I see art as a conversation across time, where one artist's vision inspires another's, and Stieglitz is definitely part of that conversation. There is an honesty and intimacy in this photograph. It allows for multiple readings and interpretations and reveals more each time.