Georgia O'Keeffe 1924

This photograph of Georgia O'Keeffe was captured by Alfred Stieglitz, her husband, sometime in the first half of the 20th century. The image is a close-up, focusing on O'Keeffe's face and upper body, and it's rendered in soft, grayscale tones. I imagine Stieglitz, behind the camera, circling his subject, coaxing her into view, waiting for the right light. You get the sense of the intimate exchange between artist and muse, husband and wife. O'Keeffe wears a dark, somewhat shapeless hat and a cozy scarf or shawl wrapped high around her neck, her gaze is direct. There's a certain stoicism in her expression. Photography and painting both capture light, shadow, and form, but painting allows for more gesture. With painting, there's always the dialogue between materiality and form, just like a relationship. Artists build upon each other's work, influencing and responding to the visions of those who came before. It is an endless, inspiring conversation.