Arthur G. Dove 1912

This photograph of Arthur G. Dove was made by Alfred Stieglitz sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. Look at Dove’s face, how it emerges from the dark, hazy ground. There is a soft, almost velvety quality to the print, achieved by a particular developing process, which also gives the image a kind of compression, pushing the foreground and background together. The details of the clothing seem almost as indistinct as the background, whereas the face, hands and collar have a sharp definition. It’s as if Stieglitz is asking us to look closely, not at surface appearances, but at the character of his friend. You can see this same concern in the portraits of Georgia O’Keeffe, in whose face Stieglitz also finds monumental qualities. They remind me of those portraits by Cezanne; images that ask us to sit, look, and think. These are studies in form and psychology; always open to interpretation.