Madeline Justiniano 2021

            A gelatin silver print of Alfred Stieglitz, the American photographer and gallerist, in his gallery, An American Place, on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. He is standing off-center in front of a painting by American modernist painter Georgia O’Keefe. The composition of the photo is balanced by the position of the painting and the studio lighting illuminates his deeply furrowed brow and creates contrast that reveals details in his wrinkled and mottled hands he holds delicately at his waist. He is formally dressed in a shirt, tie and overcoat, with one arm folded under his unbuttoned overcoat. His posture is relaxed but commanding. His gaze is serious and unflinching. He peers at the camera lens through thick lenses that enlarge his eyes and betray a long life of squinting in dark rooms and analyzing brushwork in the paintings that would pass through his galleries.

            Knowing Alfred Stieglitz’s role as a leaders of the Photo-Secessionists it is interesting that he posed for a formal portrait, a very traditional use of photography especially for his gallery. His relationship with the artist can be read through the way he stands proudly in front of the artwork, seemingly protectively guarding it from the camera lens. There is also an element of control and ownership that his posture exudes, hunched towards the camera just slightly, as though challenging the viewer to criticize the piece. Cunningham chose to include O’Keefe’s work in this piece because she symbolizes Stieglitz’s successes, both personal and professional. He married O’Keefe and knowing this it makes sense that he would want his image to be associated with her work, however she also became one of the most successful artists that he would feature in his galleries. He mounted solo exhibitions of her work multiple times and promoted it heavily even after they separated. This photograph was taken in 1934, at the height of the Great Depression. A formal portrait is an extravagance that demonstrates Stieglitz’s success and fame among art gallerists. It evokes the portrait of a scholar or a Wall Street executive. O’Keefe and other artists directly contributed to this level of professional success.