Songs of the Sky or Equivalent

1923/1929

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows a stormy sky with dense, swirling clouds. There is no visible horizon, with the focus on the churning clouds above. The clouds have a dynamic and turbulent quality, appearing to be in motion. The color palette is monochromatic, with deep blacks and grays. There are subtle highlights and lighter gray areas suggesting illumination. In the bottom left corner, a partial view of tree tops is visible. The overall impression is one of intensity and movement, with the dominant clouds creating a dramatic scene.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 9.2 x 11.8 cm (3 5/8 x 4 5/8 in.)
    mount: 34.3 x 27.7 cm (13 1/2 x 10 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.1026

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    142C

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    963

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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Discover over 1,000 artworks that the artist’s wife Georgia O’Keeffe termed his “Key Set” of prize photographs. Museum scholars have illuminated each work, his career, practices, and lifetime achievements.

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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. 963.

Inscriptions

by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 142C

Wikidata ID

Q64036296

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

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