Poplar—Lake George 1936

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, “Poplar—Lake George”, with gelatin silver. Now, gelatin silver prints aren't inherently special, but it’s what Stieglitz does with it that I think is important. There's a kind of vulnerability in the way he captured this scrawny, scraggly tree. Look at how the branches reach up, spindly and sort of desperate against the background. It makes me think about how an artist makes a mark. The lines almost vibrate, not with energy but with a quiet kind of determination. The monochrome palette adds to the feeling, stripping away color and leaving only the bare bones of form and texture. When I look at the lines on the trunk, I’m reminded of another photograph, "The Steerage," and how that manages to find the artistic in the everyday. Stieglitz is like, ‘look at how much is already here’ which is very cool.