Georgia O'Keeffe 1924

This is Alfred Stieglitz's portrait of Georgia O'Keeffe, a small photograph, printed in black and white. She looks off to the left, a clear profile, composed. Stieglitz must have thought a lot of her. It's an intimate image, yet formal. You can see the curve of her neck, the line of her jaw, the plain dark dress. Her hair is pulled back, almost severe. I wonder what they talked about, those two? I mean, he was so much older, right? But she was the modern one, I think. It’s hard to be an artist, to be seen, to be known. I look at this, and I think about all the ways we try to capture each other, pin each other down. But a photograph, a painting, it’s just one moment, right? It’s a conversation between the artist and the sitter, but it’s also a conversation with us, the viewers, across time. I think what Stieglitz captured here was a kind of quiet strength. He must have admired her a lot. And she, him.