Music - A Sequence of Ten Cloud Photographs, No. II 1922

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print called Music - A Sequence of Ten Cloud Photographs, No. II, somewhere in the early 20th century, and it’s all about mood. Think of the way you can use a brushstroke, building layer upon layer to capture something elusive, like a feeling. Stieglitz does this with light, capturing the gradations in the sky, as if the clouds are brushstrokes. Look how the light filters through the clouds, some areas sharp and others soft, creating depth. The contrast between the dark mountain at the bottom and the ethereal sky really pulls you in. There’s one spot, right at the top center, where the clouds break apart and let the light through. It's like a little window, and it makes the whole sky feel more open and alive. Stieglitz, like Georgia O’Keeffe, whom he worked with, was after something beyond just representation. Like the Photo-Secessionists, he was concerned with photography as a fine art. This piece reminds me of Gerhard Richter’s cloud paintings; both tap into something ineffable, turning fleeting moments into something lasting.