The lines of snow and buildings have an almost brushed-on look.
Icy Night," which was taken that same year, shows the beginnings of a sharper form of photography, with more contrast and starkness of black sky against snow, and the clear lines of trees against the blur of the horizon. Slightly later images, though, such as "The Steerage" made in 1907, show far crisper lines, much higher contrast, and a clearer sense of the photography defined by its composition.
This progression would continue, as Stieglitz increasingly explored the boundaries of photography.
During his life, "Stieglitz witnessed New York transform from a sleeping giant of cobblestone streets and horse-drawn trolleys to a vibrant symbol of the modern metropolis, with soaring skyscrapers becoming visible emblems of a new age...." (American Masters) He was, as it were, at a pivotal moment in history, and the metamorphosis of his age is demonstrated in his pictures. Perhaps his later development is best traced in the many portraits he made of his wife, which show his further understanding the it was not enough to photograph a subject, but that one must use the photograph to capture something that might otherwise be ignored. As he progressed, he started to show that "a conventional face shot was insufficient for capturing or revealing the complex character of his subject." (Wadsworth Atheneum)
Eventually, when he took his 1920 "A portrait" of his wife, the shot would be entirely of her powerful and expressive hands. This sort of innovation represented a grand leap from photography as portraiture or as a mere archive of landscapes into a powerful art form capable of segregating, capturing, subverting, and framing reality.
Through his striking and historically noteworthy images, Stieglitz created...
Artistically, he his work was revolutionary, from "His early styles, methods, and subjects encompassed soft-focus Pictorialist photographs; photogravures, or images etched into printing plates directly from the negatives; and atmospheric and technically revolutionary views of New York City that were photographed in extreme light and weather conditions." (Wadsworth Atheneum) Socially, his work is very valuable as well. His focus on photography the city helped to archive an era when the city was changing, just as his portraits should the changes in his society's view of individualism. In his works, "One can examine the ascendance of the machine, the explosion of urbanization, changes in social attitudes and mores, and the drive for an indigenous modern American culture -- all of which often involved a growing tension between the prescriptions of commerce and culture." (American Masters) This alone would be enough to commemorate him, and yet it only begins to describe the impact that his work had not only on the photographers of his day, but also on the development of photography.
Bibliography
Ackley, Clifford. "Alfred Stiieglitz and Early Modern Photography." Exhibitions. MFA Boston, Torf Gallery. Museum of Fine Arts. 2005. http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/stieglitz.html
Alfred Stieglitz." Articles, Photographs, Resources. Masters of Photography. http://www.masters-of-photography.com/S/stieglitz/
Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffee & American Modernism." Wadsworth Atheneum. Traditional Fine Arts Organization. 2004. http://www.tfaoi.com/newsmu/nmus153b.htm
Alfred Stieglitz." Get the Picture: Thinking About Photographs. ArtsConnectEd. http://www.artsmia.org/get-the-picture/stieglitz
