Alfred Stieglitz: The Changing Face of Photography
Alfred Stieglitz is considered to be one of the primary early definers of the nature of photographic art. His life and career spanned from 1864 to 1946, encompassing the tail end of the Civil War through World War II. "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: Alfred Stieglitz). Although photography was well-established as an art form in the 19th century, Stieglitz was one of the first to defend the unique gifts of photography as an expressive medium in and of its own right. When he became the editor of Camera Notes, the journal of the Camera Club of New York, Stieglitz used the platform provided by this "association of amateur photography enthusiasts" to make a claim for the greatness of photography on par with sculpture and painting (Hostetler).
Early attempts at artistic photography attempted to mimic the Impressionists. However, with the rise of 20th century Modernism, "photography was naturally suited to representing the fast-paced cacophony that increasingly defined modern life, and attempting to cloak the medium's natural strengths by heavily manipulating the final print fell out of favor" (Hostetler). Stieglitz's work portrayed a fragmentary view of modern life, where photographs merely sought to give a 'version' of the subject in an intensely personal way, versus an objective ideal of the truth. He also had an unabashedly personal focus in his approach to his art. When his daughter was born to his first wife 1898, Stieglitz had the then-unique idea of "creating a photographic journal of her life" in the form of a series of portraits throughout her phases of growing up and becoming a woman ("Portraits"). These portraits were both intensely personal and works of art.
The most famous Stieglitz subject was...
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
Photographers: Exploring the World Through Their Lenses Documentary Photography: a depiction of the real world by a photographer whose intent is to communicate something of importance -- to make a comment -- that will be understood by the viewer. (Documentary Photography 12) When the camera was invented, photographers learned that they no longer needed oil paint and brushes to capture a scene or a person. On film, they could now record the
(269) It would seem that the artists and the press of the era both recognized a hot commodity when they saw one, and in this pre-Internet/Cable/Hustler era, beautiful women portrayed in a lascivious fashion would naturally appeal to the prurient interests of the men of the day who might well have been personally fed up with the Victorian morals that controlled and dominated their lives otherwise. In this regard, Pyne
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now