Alfred Stieglitz and American modernism
A new exhibit features the work of Stieglitz and other
modernists
By ADAM TANOUS
Express Arts Editor
It is nothing short of remarkable that in
this tiny town—say after a couple hours of skiing and a cup of coffee—one
can stroll into the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and view works of art
by Matisse, Picasso, Stieglitz, O’Keefe, Weston, and other pillars of
art history.
The privilege is due to a new exhibit at
the Center entitled, Alfred Stieglitz and the Birth of American
Modernism. The show opened Dec. 15 and runs through Feb. 22.
Kristin Poole, curator of the exhibit, has
brought together dozens of pieces of art—most of which are on loan from
local residents—that represent the first wave of what became known as
American modernism. And the man who propagated that wave was Alfred
Stieglitz.
Because we have become so conditioned to
abstraction in both art and literature, it is easy to take for granted the
significance of Stieglitz’s efforts. To appreciate them, we have to
recognize that during the latter half of the 19th century the
art world was still steeped in representational art, specifically in
realism and French impressionism.
Then along came Stieglitz, a photographer
and promoter of art. "He was not at all afraid to experiment with new
ideas. In his pores he believed it was his responsibility to challenge the
status quo," Poole said.
In 1905, Stieglitz and fellow photographer
Edward Steichen opened a gallery in New York City to support young
photographers. It became known as 291. One of Stieglitz’s early
aims, Poole said, was to "create images that had the evocative mood
of paintings—images that told a story." It was an attempt, and a
largely successful one, to make photography an artistic expression rather
than a means to document events. This school of photographers became known
as the Pictorialists.
A year later, Steichen went to Paris and
became involved with the avaunt garde salon of Leo and Gertrude Stein.
From this source, Steichen began to feed Stieglitz with the new work of
the European modernists. These were works by Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse and
Rodin.
"Stieglitz believed it was his job to
present this work [in New York] and let people struggle with it…There
were a lot of non-objective, non-traditional and unrealistic elements in
the work relative to what was going on. Stieglitz realized it was a huge
leap for people," Poole said.
She emphasized that Stieglitz was very
concerned with honesty in the work. "It had to be the expression of
true feelings. He didn’t care how you got there as long as it was
honest."
Around 1908, Steiglitz began to lose
interest in photography. He felt that the most exciting work was taking
place in the world of painting. Again through Steichen, Stieglitz came in
contact with a number of American painters who were working in Paris in a
more modernist tradition. He then organized a show in 1910 that featured
the works of Americans Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, John Marin, Max Weber
and others. This Young American Painters exhibit underscored the
new ideas of abstraction. These painters were experimenting with concepts
of line and form and color that expressed emotion but did not necessarily
adhere to conventions of context and three-dimensional representation.
In his own work, Steiglitz left behind the
Pictorialist approach and took up similar concerns of form and
composition. His photography had evolved from a moody, narrative style to
one more concerned with the abstract. His camera moved closer to his
subjects, and often there was little in the image to place the viewer in
context. His very late photographs of clouds—works that became known as
"equivalents"—are even more rootless. They are shots of clouds
without any reference points of land or sea. They are, in a way, a peek
into the emotional psyche of Stieglitz.
Stieglitz was, as Poole pointed out, a very
difficult man. He often held forth in his galleries (he had three over the
course of his career). But despite being insufferable at times, the fact
remains that Stieglitz fostered the conversation of new ideas. He took
chances with artists and supported their treading into new territory.
"One of the goals of this show is to
demonstrate how, essentially, one man grabbed an instant in time and
contributed to the history of art in America. It is very important to me
that people understand that so much is affected by an individual, or a by
a small group that coalesces and finds a like spirit…The dialogue that
happens among artists really does build the history."
