Equivalent W4

1929

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image displays an upward view of a sky filled with swirling clouds. The horizon is not visible, emphasizing the cloud formations dominating the scene. The technique creates soft textures across the sky. The color palette consists of dark grays and blacks with lighter edges where light is trying to penetrate the clouds, creating contrast. The overall effect is one of movement and depth, with the clouds appearing to billow and shift above.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 11.9 x 9.1 cm (4 11/16 x 3 9/16 in.)
    mount: 34.7 x 27.4 cm (13 11/16 x 10 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.1053

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    167B

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    1280

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

1983

  • Photographs by Alfred Stieglitz, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, February 3–May 8, 1983; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, June 17–August 14, 1983; The Art Institute of Chicago, October 18, 1983–January 3, 1984

Bibliography

1983

  • Greenough, Sarah, and Juan Hamilton. Alfred Stieglitz: Photographs and Writings. Washington, 1983: no. 144, pl. 66.

2002

  • Greenough, Sarah. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Washington, 2002: vol. 2, cat. 1280.

Inscriptions

by Alfred Stieglitz, on mount, lower left verso, in graphite: Set R X3 [crossed out] / W4
by Georgia O'Keeffe, on mount, upper left verso, in graphite: 167-B
by later hand, on mount, lower right verso, in graphite: D

Wikidata ID

Q64036355

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

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