Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe - reflections after lecture

 In this week's lecture we were listening about two artists, American photographer  - Alfred Stieglitz, and American painter - Georgia O'Keeffe.


Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe


This couple, who met in 1916, got married while O'Keeffe was almost half of Stieglitz's age, who was 52 at the time. Besides that at the time he was already a widely known artist while she was not known at all. 

The most interesting fact about Alfred Stieglitz, and at the same time thing I have the most problems with, is how he pioneered 'straight photography', which was supposed to show world as it is, in contrary to how it was presented before, like a painting.

This is where I have a problem with it. Stieglitz says that his photographs show the 'real' world, the raw environment, while, in my opinion, his images have a very distinctive style and narration. Their narrative is not objective. The underexposed buildings, flares around the lights, unusual angles are not what I would called 'the real'. Stieglitz by saying that his photographs are objective and actual is just creating his own new narration.


do not believe in objective photography, because it is always up to photographer what goes into photograph. Is it black or white or in colour? Is it close-up or wide? What time of day is it taken? Is it under or overexposed? All of these questions, and many more are creating a narration of a photograph. There is not one, true way of showing an image.



As for Georgia O'Keeffe, I do enjoy her floral based art, the cropping on them is quite interesting, the way they are filling the canvas is truly alluring. The shades of different colours which are blending with each other as if they were gradient. 

As for her landscapes, however, I do not enjoy them. This over-simplistic style does not speak to me in any way. The way they are drawn is quite childish looking and I do not find them compelling at all.



In conclusion, I am not the biggest admirer of either of them. I do enjoy photographs of Alfred Stieglitz, however I do not agree with his philosophy of his work. With Georgia O'Keeffe, I share similar feelings, I cherish her floral paintings, nonetheless I really, almost, despite her landscape art.




_______________
Sources:
Van-de-Velde, Z., 2021. Art Lecture Series Two - Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe.

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