Paul Rosenfeld 1925

This is a photograph of Paul Rosenfeld, made by Alfred Stieglitz. It's small, intimate, almost like a snapshot but deliberate. The tones feel soft, almost velvety, like a charcoal drawing, and that’s what gives it its particular feel. Look at the way the light catches Rosenfeld’s face, the subtle gradations of shadow around his eyes and mouth. You can almost feel the texture of his woollen jumper. It’s incredible to me how Stieglitz coaxes this out of the photographic process. There’s such a physicality to it. My eye keeps coming back to the slight blurring around the edges, it almost feels like Stieglitz is saying: this is a moment, a feeling, not a fixed reality. It reminds me a little of the portraits of August Sander, that same commitment to capturing the essence of a person. But there’s also a kind of tenderness here, a warmth. It’s like Stieglitz isn’t just documenting, he’s also engaging in a conversation, or maybe even a kind of embrace, with his subject. And that is what makes you want to linger.