Songs of the Sky B4

1923

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows swirling clouds against the sky, captured from a low angle looking upward. The horizon is not visible. The clouds vary in density and opacity, ranging from dark to light gray. The style is photographic, emphasizing the texture and turbulence of the clouds. The color palette is dark, mainly black and gray, with contrasts between light and shadow visible within the clouds. Light is visible behind some of the clouds, creating a chiaroscuro effect across the sky.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 11.2 x 9.2 cm (4 7/16 x 3 5/8 in.)
    sheet: 20.7 x 10.1 cm (8 1/8 x 4 in.)
    mount: 34.3 x 27.5 cm (13 1/2 x 10 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.857

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    157E

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    901

The image shows a man leaning his head on his hand, positioned with his face resting on his left hand. He has a mustache, thin-framed eyeglasses, and thick, greying hair that curls slightly at the edges. He is dressed in a formal jacket, a white shirt, and a black bow tie. The background is a soft, dark blur.

Alfred Stieglitz

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Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Georgia O'Keeffe; gift to NGA, 1949.

Associated Names

Bibliography

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 2, cat. 901.

Inscriptions

by Alfred Stieglitz, on mount, upper center verso, in graphite: Top / B4 [4 in subscript]; lower right verso: B4 [4 in subscript] Top
by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 157-E; lower right verso: 157-E

Wikidata ID

Q64035911

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

For more information about the date of this print, see Key Set number 898.

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