“Photography is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.”
Alfred Stieglitz came up on my January 21, 2014 Metropolitan Museum of Art Calendar as a palladium print taken by Waldo Frank, a prolific novelist, historian, literary and social critic. Alfred is sitting comfortably on a chair, his tie slightly askew with papers on his lap and, what appear to be apples, in his hands. He is wearing a hat and there is a hint of a smile beneath his moustache. His life is before him; and he has a determined look about him that suggests that he is ready to take on the world.
The first time I heard about Alfred Stieglitz was when I was researching the remarkable photographer, Gertrude Käsebier. Next, I found his name linked to Auguste Rodin, Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne and Pablo Picasso. My latest encounter was when I was reading “Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O’Keeffe.” The defining similarity in all that I have read, centers on his remarkable skill to see creative genius.
Alfred Stieglitz (1864 – 1946) was a pioneer in the advancement of pictorial photography in America and abroad. But in my opinion, his brilliance was his ability to recognize artistic endeavour and creativity in others outside the world of photography. He perceived the heart and purpose of an artist’s work. And he shared the limelight, generously and unequivocally.
In 1905, Alfred Stieglitz, along with his associate Edward Steichen, opened a small gallery that would become famously called “291.” This tiny gallery was the first venue in America to showcase the works of Auguste Rodin and Henri Matisse in 1908, Paul Cézanne in 1910, and Pablo Picasso in 1911.
Alfred Stieglitz once said, “It is not art in the professionalized sense about which I care, but that which is created sacredly, as a result of a deep inner experience, with all of oneself, and that becomes ‘art’ in time.” Over the years, his life was a testament to those words.
Alfred Stieglitz was born on New Years Day, an auspicious beginning. As we embark on our New Year, may we share his commitment as we explore the wealth of human creative skill and imagination…