Tree Set 1 c. 1924

This photograph, Tree Set 1, was made by Alfred Stieglitz sometime in the early 20th century. It’s all about silhouette and tone, the way the skeletal branches reach and scratch into the somber sky. I imagine Stieglitz out there, maybe on a blustery day, squinting through the lens, trying to find the right balance between the dark, looming clouds and the stark, reaching limbs of the tree. I’m wondering, was he thinking about the drama of nature, or maybe something more personal? I like to think about how the starkness of winter trees kind of mirrors those bare, honest feelings we have sometimes. When everything's stripped away, what's left? You know, artists like Stieglitz, he's always in conversation with painters, even though he's using a camera. It's all about seeing, feeling, and trying to capture something real about the world. It makes you think about how we're all connected, sharing ideas across time and different ways of making.