Songs of the Sky or Equivalent

1923/1929

Alfred Stieglitz

Associated Names
Alfred Stieglitz

Artist, American, 1864 - 1946

The image shows an upward view of clouds in the sky. There is no visible horizon line. The clouds are depicted with a high contrast between light and shadow, giving them a dramatic and textural appearance. The color palette is monochromatic, with varying shades of black and grey. The light source appears to be behind the clouds, creating a glowing effect around the edges. In the distance, there are further layers of clouds receding into a lighter area, providing depth to the composition.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Alfred Stieglitz Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 9.3 x 11.9 cm (3 11/16 x 4 11/16 in.)
    mount: 34.3 x 27.6 cm (13 1/2 x 10 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.3.1177

  • Stieglitz Estate Number

    142E

    Part of Stieglitz Key Set Online Edition

    Learn more

  • Key Set Number

    971

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. 971.

Inscriptions

by later hand, on mount, lower right verso, in graphite: D

Wikidata ID

Q64036638

Scholarly Remarks and Key Set Data

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