Songs of the Sky P1

1923

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image displays a view of the sky from a direct upward perspective. There is no visible horizon, and the photograph is vertically oriented capturing an abstract pattern formed by clouds. The technique used shows a contrast between the dark sky and the bright, soft edges of the clouds through a monochrome palette. The sky is black, while the clouds appear luminous and textured, blending subtly in some areas and sharply defined in others. This visual arrangement focuses on the intricate shapes and formations of the clouds as they move through the sky. The absence of any other elements keeps the focus entirely on the sky's drama and the forms created by the clouds against the vast dark backdrop.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 11.9 x 9.2 cm (4 11/16 x 3 5/8 in.)
    mount: 34.3 x 27.6 cm (13 1/2 x 10 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.884

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    260A

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    882

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

Exhibition History

1995

  • Alfred Stieglitz at Lake George, Museum of Modern Art, New York, September 14, 1995–January 2, 1996

Bibliography

1995

  • Alfred Stieglitz at Lake George. Exh. cat. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1995: pl. 77.

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 2, cat. 882.

Inscriptions

by Alfred Stieglitz, on mount, upper center verso, in graphite, underlined: Top.; center left verso: P1 [1 in subscript]; lower left verso: P1 [1 in subscript]
by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 260A

Wikidata ID

Q64035972

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

Remarks

This photograph and Key Set numbers 883, 884, 885, and 886 came to the National Gallery of Art in a presentation folder inscribed by Stieglitz: Songs of the Sky, P1–P5, 1923.

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