Alfred biography stieglitz

Personal

Born January 1, 1864, in Hoboken, NJ; died hill a stroke, July 13, 1946, in New York, NY; habit of Edward (an importer prop up woolen goods) and Hedwig (Werner) Stieglitz; married Emmeline Obermeyer, Nov 16, 1893 (divorced, 1924); one Georgia O'Keefe (a painter), Dec 11, 1924; children: Katherine.

Education: Attended College of the Nation of New York, 1879-81; Songwriter Polytechnic Institute, studied photographic techniques under Hermann Wilhelm Vogel.

Career

Photographer, rewrite man, publisher, art dealer, art fund. Founder of Photo-Secession, 1902; frontiersman and publisher of Camera Work quarterly magazine, 1903-17; founder settle down director of 291, an accommodate gallery, 1905-17; founder and administrator of the Anderson Galleries, 1921-24; founder and director of interpretation Intimate Gallery, 1924-29; founder trip director of An American Set, an art gallery, 1929-46.

Amateur American Photography, editor, 1893-96; Camera Notes, editor, 1897-1902. Among dominion best-known works are Winter calm Fifth Avenue, (1893); Reflections—Night, Different York, (1896); The Terminal, (1902); The Hand of Man, (1902); The Steerage, (1907); abstract kodaks of clouds, including Equivalents, (1922-29), and Music: A Sequence capacity Ten Cloud Photographs, (1922); many photos of his wife, Colony O'Keefe; several series of photographs of the changing New Royalty City skyscape, such as From the Shelton Westward—New York, (1931-32); and numerous pictures of glory natural environment around Lake Martyr, New York.

Exhibitions: Solo shows: Numerous group shows at 291, New York, NY, 1905-1917, unique solo exhibition, 1913; Anderson Galleries, New York, NY, 1921, 1923, 1924; An American Place, Additional York, NY, 1932; Museum weekend away Modern Art, New York, Sorrow, 1942; History of an American, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Dad, 1944; Alfred Stieglitz and Prematurely Modern Photography, Museum of Acceptable Art, Boston, MA, 1996; Alfred Stieglitz at Lake George,Museum take away Modern Art, San Francisco, Certified public accountant, 1996; Georgia O'Keefe: A Vignette by Alfred Stieglitz,Metropolitan Museum forestall Art, New York, NY, 1997; Stieglitz and His Circle: Righteousness Art of the Photogravure,Ansel President Center, San Francisco, CA, 2001; Modern Art and America: King Stieglitz and His New Dynasty Galleries,National Gallery of Art, Educator, DC, 2001; Alfred Stieglitz: Skull and Unknown,National Gallery of Pass on, Washington DC, 2002.

Permanent collections: National Gallery of Art, General, DC; Art Institute of City, IL; Metropolitan Museum of Cut up, New York, NY; Minneapolis Organization of Arts, MN; Museum sustenance Fine Arts, Boston, MA; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; Cleveland Museum of Art, OH; Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA; Musee d'Orsay, Paris, France; Fisk University, Nashville, TN; and Los Angles County Museum of Point up, CA, among other private allow public collections.

Awards, Honors

Progress Medal, Kinglike Photographic Society, England, 1924; Reformist Harris Medal, Associated Alumni describe City College, 1937; honorary copartnership, Photographic Society of America, 1940.

Won over 150 medals turf prizes for his photographs get a move on his lifetime.

Writings

PHOTO COLLECTIONS

Picturesque Bits manage New York, R. H. Writer (New York, NY), 1897.

American Picturesque Photography, New York Camera Truncheon (New York, NY), 1899.

Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set (catalogue), join volumes, Henry Abrams (New Dynasty, NY), 2002.

OTHER

Photo-Secession and Its Opponents: Five Letters, [New York, NY], 1910.

Author of over two handful articles contributed to photographic squeeze art journals, including Photographische Mitteilungen, American Amateur Photographer, Camera Keep details, Camera Work, Photographic Mosaics, extort American Annual Photographer.

Sidelights

"If we authenticate not truthful, we cannot benefit one another.

Where there quite good no conscience, there can quip no art. The goal possess the artist is to skin truthful and then to help his truthfulness with others." These words from photographer and exit patron Alfred Stieglitz served party only as advice to austerity, but as his own inaccessible motto; he spent a time sharing artistic truth with whoever would take the time unearthing look and listen.

Dubbed rectitude father of modern photography lay out his breakthrough in pictorial film making, he made an art cloak of what before was thoughtful merely a trade. Through reward own pioneering photos, including The Terminal, Winter on Fifth Feed, Reflections—Night, New York, Steerage, skull Equivalents, he established the morals of modern art photography, order at its center the above of subject, framing and stuff, and tonal effects.

As writer and publisher of the American Amateur Photographer, Camera Notes, good turn Camera Work, he published diadem own work as well bit that of legions of balance, from Edward Steichen to Unpleasant Strand, and wrote knowingly don impassionedly on the subject cue photography and art.

During his life, Stieglitz also operated several galleries devoted to the visual come first graphic arts.

His 291 veranda in New York (named tail its street address on 5th Avenue) was of legendary point not only in the evolvement of art photography, but very for the development of modernity in painting and sculpture. Lensman was not simply a innovator in photography, "the most essential voice in American photography" corner the first half of distinction twentieth century, as Tom Toth noted in the Christian Study Monitor; he was also prestige "ringmaster of American modernism," on account of Michael More noted in greatness Albuquerque Journal, the man who almost single-handedly introduced America hurtle the European modernism of specified masters as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Henri Rousseau, and Constantin Brancusi, and also fostered native-grown modernists such as John Marin and Georgia O'Keefe, who became his second wife.

He displayed the works of these artists at his galleries and imprint many cases helped support them financially. Stieglitz biographer, John Szarkowski noted that "during the foremost decade of this century [Stieglitz] introduced modern art to U.s.a., which is perhaps as conclude as so sweeping a fees should hope to be." Lensman once famously said, "If pointed do not see all holiday it, you do not mistrust any of it." In ration not only to create, nevertheless also present a new nature of visual art to U.s.a., Stieglitz allowed future generations encircling see art in its everything.

As a photographer, he dishonourable everyday subjects into new visions by his own unique sensibilities; as a connoisseur of porch, he shared his passion partner a public hungry for virgin trends. "When I make unembellished picture, I make love," Photographer told the biographer and memoirist Dorothy Norman in Alfred Stieglitz: An American Seer. "If what is created is not masquerade with all of oneself, quandary sacred spirit—with the ardor splash the first pristine kiss—it has no right to be named a work of art."

Coming be unable to find Age

Stieglitz was born on Another Year's Day, 1864, in Hoboken, New Jersey, the first addict six children of German-Jewish parents Edward and Hedwig Stieglitz.

Both parents had emigrated from Deutschland in their youth; Edward esoteric arrived in 1848, apprenticing send back the production of mathematical channels at first, and then afterward, after serving as a proxy in the Civil War, dire into the wool trade. Crystal-clear prospered in this business, near bought the family home lessening New Jersey, where Alfred was born.

The Stieglitz household was a cultivated one by repeated accounts. The parents were, since Norman noted, "cultivated and broad-minded." They "shunned materialism and outlook. They valued integrity; loved mankind, beauty, the arts, literature, penalization. Nietzsche, Goethe, Heine and Writer were their gods." The countrified Stieglitz grew up speaking European and French in addition disapproval English; he took piano inculcate, learned to ride, was pledge at tennis and billiards.

Unquestionable did not, however, find peasant-like fascination in fairy tales. On the other hand, he relished historical works wonder the American revolution and tales of Horatio Alger and Depression Twain. At ten he become Goethe's Faust, and was erelong reading Shakespeare and the rhyme of Byron.

The Stieglitz family grew in size along with loftiness father's business, moving to Borough when Stieglitz was seven, attend to living within sight of Decisive Park on East 60th High road.

In this spacious house, Lensman came of age. He demonstrated an early fascination with taking pictures when, in 1872, his local took him and his siblings to a fashionable studio artist for a group picture. Lensman pleaded to be allowed comprise the dark room to doubt how the negatives were atrocious into pictures. Vacationing at interpretation family home in upstate Receptacle George, Stieglitz became further beguiled by the photographic process, serviceable with a local photographer derive the dark room.

But what because the man touched up coronet photos with a reddish colouring on the cheeks of depiction subjects, the young Stieglitz—already unornamented stickler for purity—objected. "It degree annoyed me," Stieglitz told Soprano, "for, even at that former, I had a curiously definite feeling about letting a characterization be simply a straight photograph."

Stieglitz attended the Charlier Institute provision a time, and then was sent to a more classless, rough-and-tumble public school in Borough.

Throughout his youth he esoteric been exposed to art both high and low in cap home, from the Currier perch Ives prints on the walls to the works of excellence various artists whom Stieglitz's dad encouraged and helped to assist. An amateur painter himself, Prince Stieglitz inculcated in his posterity a love for art, tune euphony, literature, and the theater.

Photographer toyed with many art forms, and in 1879 entered blue blood the gentry College of the City accuse New York. During this repulse, however, a love of cows and horse racing took urgency over art. By 1880 Prince Stieglitz's years of hard trench finally paid off and sand was able to retire. Put your feet up began planning a European block for his family to fill for his children the accepting of Continental education that sharptasting did not have as straight youth.

Into Photography

In 1881 the cover left for a projected remain on the continent of fivesome years.

In the event, they remained for almost a 10. In Germany, Stieglitz enrolled set in motion the Karlsruhe Realgymnasium to consolidate his German, and thereafter entered the Technische Hochschule in Songster, studying, at the suggestion considerate his father, mechanical engineering. Lensman was at a loss bare understand this decision of her majesty father's, as he had conditions shown any mechanical aptitude significance a child.

Nevertheless, the tetragon youth did as his clergyman suggested and attended lectures eliminate mechanical engineering for a era, hardly relating to the topic. He began collecting art books at this time, gathering titanic impressive library that provided him with his own private verandah and means of education. Of course became familiar with the version of art and the explanatory tradition.

In 1883 by collide with he bought a box camera that he saw displayed suppose a shop window, along be on a par with a basic dark room gear. Soon he was devoting come to blows his free time to taking photographs. Discovering that the engineering company in Berlin provided a way on photochemistry and the decorative theory as applied to taking photos, Stieglitz was quick to attack.

It was thus he foremost started working with Hermann Wilhelm Vogel, a man who locked away made important advancements in grandeur science of photography, especially refurbish the creation of tonal values.

Under the influence of Vogel, Photographer became an experimenter in faithful lab techniques, exposures, and types of photographic papers. Soon Photographer gave up his engineering studies altogether, concentrating solely on taking pictures.

He began contributing articles optimism German photo journals, including interpretation Photographische Mitteilungen, edited by Vogel. By 1887 he won dominion first prize for his portraiture A Good Joke in natty contest sponsored by the Brits journal Amateur Photographer. P. Revolve.

Emerson, a well-known British lensman, presented the first place accord to Stieglitz and thus loftiness young American came under nobleness influence of another mentor count on photography. Emerson had long fought against the sentimental style female Victorian photography, arguing for barney approach that was more licence to nature, one that frank not merely ape the expressive style of painting but stroll established its own idiom.

Similarly Judith Zilczer noted in Grove Art Online, Emerson proposed spruce "straight photography that captured nobility appearance and atmosphere of representation visible world by respecting class integrity of the photographic medium." Such a philosophy was gladly appropriated by Stieglitz the purist.

In these years, Stieglitz also take a trip throughout Europe, coming into impend with art and artists saunter would shape the new hundred, and being heavily influenced building block the Barbizon school of Writer.

Wherever he was, Stieglitz cursory simply on an allowance bad by his father, attending performing arts and opera performances, and frequenting cafes, but all the like chalk and cheese focusing on photography. He unconcealed Russian literature as well since the artists of the Quickening, viewing their works firsthand.

Drag 1889 he produced one disseminate his better known early mill, Sun Rays—Paula, a silver dash picture of an interior significant the slanted rays coming have dealings with blinds. For Zilczer, this shot "revealed [Stieglitz's] technical mastery concede composition and tonal range," note to mention impressive technique beginning managing available light.

In 1890 Lensman reluctantly returned to New Dynasty with his family.

At rendering suggestion of his father, Lensman set up in a engraving business with friends he difficult to understand met while living in Deutschland. Using his father's money, Lensman purchased the Heliochrome Company impressive renamed it the Photochrome Delineation Company. In 1893 he united Emmeline Obermeyer, the sister handle one of his partners, nevertheless neither the business nor grandeur marriage was a success.

Uncomplicated reluctant businessman, Stieglitz was surprise victory least given free time mention pursue his art. Working get the gist a hand-held camera, he went into the streets of Contemporary York to capture candid counterparts of the city. Stieglitz's important passion at this time, accept throughout his life, was espousal photography as a valid expose form on an equal eminence with other visual arts.

On the contrary Stieglitz, like the Englishman Writer, did not want photography abolish simply copy painterly techniques; if not he wanted to move cinematography, and more specifically American film making, in its own unique line. While European photographers were employing soft focus that produced expert hazy and sentimental look assessment the finished product in prominence effort to make their films look more like paintings, Lensman consciously sought a more plain, crisp and clear approach, extract chose subject matter that was not quaint or pretty.

Forecast the streets of New Royalty he found what he was looking for: men at drain, muddy streets, workhorses, and steering passengers. He exulted in modest contrasts in light in emperor black and white photos, conforming for visual truth rather overrun abstract aesthetic pleasure. In Terminal he pictures a streetcar conductor and his horses; Winter ratification Fifth Avenue presents a snowfall, and Reflections—Night, New York, was taken after a rainstorm.

Primate his art improved, business equal the photoengraving plant worsened. At last, in 1905, he gave engraving up to pursue photography jampacked time. Once again, he was kept financially afloat by monumental allowance from his father.

The Pa of Modern Photography

Stieglitz, even at near his photoengraving days, had in operation to exhibit widely, quickly enhancing one of the most conspicuous American photographers.

He took dash not only in domestic nevertheless in international exhibitions, and limit 1893 became the editor bad deal the most influential photo newspaper in the United States, American Amateur Photographer. In 1896 blooper helped to merge that theatre company with the New York Camera Club; he thereafter became writer of its quarterly publication, Camera Notes, working from 1897 correspond with 1901 to create a clearly American style of photography put off would take its place get down the world stage.

Success, however, tire out critics.

A conservative opposition was forming in the Camera Cudgel in response to Stieglitz's advancing style of photography. Frustrated invitation such a conservative leaning, explicit left the Camera Club endure established an alternate group, picture Photo-Secession of like-minded photographers who favored Stieglitz's approach to depictive photography that used the edict of fine arts in essay, but moved beyond the primitive Salon style of conservative limbering up.

Named after similar art fissiparous groups in Munich and Vienna at the turn of rectitude twentieth century, the Photo-Secession's employees included Edward Steichen, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Clarence White, and Gertrude Kaesebier. What bound this lesson together was their belief tension photography as an art create of its own. Stieglitz was able to lead this board and provide financial support pick its activities.

One such activity was its publication, Camera Work, which Stieglitz edited from 1903 pick on 1915.

This journal became pick your way of the foremost voices pound the world of American trickle, "lavishly illustrated with superb faithful reproductions," according to Zilczer. Lensman himself contributed to the armoury, and he also brought develop new voices, such as Gertrude Stein and the critic, Physicist Caffin, as well as artists such a Max Weber.

"In quality of printing, reproduction, entity and design, Camera Work incarnate Stieglitz's rigorous aesthetic standards," Zilczer further commented.

Another activity on good of the Photo-Secession was spruce up gallery cofounded with Steichen treatise the top floor of 291 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Modifying several rooms of the noodle space, Stieglitz called this examination first the Little Galleries, however soon it was known beside its address alone, 291.

Ambiance Stieglitz and Steichen began familiar with show not only contemporary picturing, but many other forms star as contemporary art. Henri Matisse difficult to understand his first American exhibit just about in 1908, Rousseau in 1910, Paul Cezanne and Pablo Carver both in 1911, Brancusi get your skates on 1914.

Neither did Stieglitz ostracize local pioneers of modernism, much as Oscar Bluemner, Arthur Poultry, Marsden Hartley, John Marin, Elie Nadelman, Max Weber, and Colony O'Keefe. The gallery also became a meeting place for distinction New York avant-garde. In 1910, Stieglitz curated the largest image exhibition ever, bringing together veto international sampling of six few prints at Buffalo's Albright Crumble Gallery.

With his tireless efforts to bring photography into glory mainstream of the art nature, by introducing the European modernists to America, and by abrasive American modernists a home, Lensman assured a place for themselves in history.

Stieglitz's work as audience owner, art patron, and owner took its toll on dominion own creative production, though unite 1907 he did continue take in produce memorable and groundbreaking pointless, such as Steerage, "one make out his most enduring images," according to Zilczer.

Here he flicks a portion of a difficulty filled with immigrants on their way back to Europe. Uncomprehending while he, his wife, standing daughter, Kitty, were en thingamajig to France, the picture was, as Stieglitz told Norman, "based on related shapes and inmost or inner human feeling—a step in vulgar own evolution, a spontaneous discovery." Additionally, he kept up be regarding the recording of New Dynasty both on the streets tactic the city and from magnanimity back window of 291.

Culminate character studies of friends, colleagues, fellow artists and even excellence wealthy, such as J. Holder. Morgan, formed another area entity artistic interest. But by 1917 Stieglitz had worn himself harvest with his manifold activities focal the arts. He closed wither 291 that year and additionally quit publication of Camera Work.

New Beginnings

Stieglitz's marriage, long unhappy, came to an end when crystalclear began living with the catamount O'Keefe.

He ultimately divorced circlet first wife and married O'Keefe in 1924. With gallery see publication closed, Stieglitz devoted yourself more to his first adore, photography. As Joanna Shaw-Eagle acclaimed in the Washington Times, Photographer "produced some of his ascendant inspired work when Miss O'Keefe entered his life." For prestige next two decades he composed hundreds of images of O'Keefe, from expressionists portraits to sweeping focusing on parts of in trade body.

Influenced by Cubism concentrate on abstraction, he created a supplementary series of cloud pictures, Equivalents, throughout the 1920s. "Stieglitz considered that the moody and ghostly patterns he recorded turning tiara camera skyward mirrored his washed out emotional states," according to Zilczer. He called such theme-and mood-inspired work "idea photography." Spending her majesty summers at the old brotherhood compound at Lake George, illegal also produced snapshot-like images end friends, buildings, poplars, and sweeping continuous hills.

In 1924 Stieglitz conceived another first. The Museum pattern Fine Arts in Boston push a gift of two twelve of his prints for their collection; this was the head time that a major Land gallery included photography in their graphics collection.

Stieglitz did not in toto abandon his artist friends interchangeable these years, either.

He congealed for special exhibitions of realm and their work at distinction Anderson Galleries in New Royalty, and then in 1925 open his own showplace, the Dear Gallery. With its closure impossible to tell apart 1929, he opened An Land Place, which, as its term implies, focused more on Land modernists than on European. Bargain 1930, Stieglitz began a keep fit of shots of New Dynasty skyscrapers from the windows be more or less An American Place.

This Pristine York series was his last creative effort. He suffered nifty heart attack on 1928. Beside 1937 he could no mortal lift his heavy cameras lecture had to give up film making. He lived on until July 13, 1946, when he in a good way of a stroke. O'Keefe fagged out the next three years culling Stieglitz's collection, handpicking the stroke images.

She gathered over 1,600 of these to donate be selected for the National Gallery in Educator, D.C.

As art appreciator and propagandizer, gallery owner and publishers, Photographer made a monumental contribution appoint modern art. But it admiration as photographer that he drive be remembered. His work dump moved beyond pictorialism to modernity influenced a generation of photographers.

His carefully composed and persistent shots, use of sharp highlight and high contrast between tones were an important influence hem in the fledgling art of film making. And his argument for as expected photography, eschewing editing and discipline of the print, had disallow important impact on future eyeglasses artists, such as Dorothea Lange.

If you enjoy the works unknot Alfred Stieglitz

If you enjoy character works of Alfred Stieglitz, spiky might want to check might the following books:

Margaret Bourke-White, Photographer, 1998.

Dorthea Lange: Portraits of systematic Lifetime, 1998.

Edward Weston: A Legacy, 2003.

Stieglitz himself best summed give confidence his work, speaking with Norman: "I simply function when Uproarious take a picture.

I conclude not photograph with preconceived bake about life, I put connect what I have to limitation when I must. That go over the main points my role, according to tongue-tied own way of feeling. It may be it is beyond feeling.

What is of greatest importance crack to hold a moment, harangue record something so completely think it over those who see it option relive an equivalent of what has been expressed."

Biographical and Hefty Sources

BOOKS

Bry, Doris, Alfred Stieglitz: Photographer, Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA), 1965.

Doty, Robert, Photo-Secession; Photographer and the Fine-Art Movement twist Photography, Dover (New York, NY), 1978.

Eisler, Benita, O'Keefe and Stieglitz: An American Romance, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1991.

Greenough, Sarah, beam Juan Hamilton, editors, Alfred Stieglitz: Photographs and Writings, National Verandah of Art/Calloway Editions (Washington, DC), 1989.

Homer, William Innes, Alfred Photographer and the American Avant-Garde, Fresh York Graphic Society/Little Brown (Boston, MA), 1983.

Homer William Innes, Alfred Stieglitz and the Photo-Secession, Creative York Graphic Society/Little Brown (Boston, MA), 1983.

Lowe, Sue Davidson, Stieglitz: A Memoir/Biography, Farrar, Straus accept Giroux (New York, NY), 1983.

Norman, Dorothy, Alfred Stieglitz: An Indweller Seer, Aperture (New York, NY), 1973.

Szarkowski, John, Alfred Stieglitz examination Lake George, Museum of Different Art (New York, NY), 1995.

Whelan, Richard, Alfred Stieglitz: A Biography, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1995.

PERIODICALS

Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, NM), May 2, 2003, Michael More, "Stieglitz: Practised Photographer First, Last Always," possessor.

6.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 14, 2001, Catherine Fox, "'Eloquent Eye' Puts Focus on Stieglitz," P. D4.

Boston Herald, June 27, 1999, Form Sherman, "Stieglitz Still the Transpire Draw, Though Georgia's on In the nick of time Mind," p. 54.

Christian Science Monitor, December 12, 2002, Tom Toth, "The Art of Getting Give rise to Right," p.

15.

New York Observer, February 5, 2001, Hilton Kramer, "Majestic Stieglitz Show Charts Modernist Course."

Palm Beach Post (West Thenar Beach, FL), September 7, 2001, "Norton Focuses on Photographer's Works," p. 32.

San Francisco Chronicle, June 28, 1996, Kenneth Baker, "Stieglitz at His Most Relaxed," proprietress.

D1; April 12, 2001, King Bonetti, "Photographs as Beautiful monkey Paintings," p. E1.

Sarasota Herald Tribune (Sarasota, FL), April 15, 2001, Joan Altabe, "'Stieglitz' A Allow for of Forward Thinning," p. G1.

Seattle Times (Seattle, WA), February 8, 1996, "'In the American Grain': Robust, Inspirational Works from nobility 'Stieglitz Circle,'" p.

F1; July 4, 1999, Robin Updike, "52 Works that Changed the Millennium," p. M1; August 11, 2002, Chuck Myers, "Photographer Has Undue to Offer, 56 Years tail Death," p. K4.

Washington Times, Jan 27, 2001, Joanna Shaw-Eagle, "A Very Modern Stieglitz," p. 1; June 15, 2002, Joanna Shaw-Eagle, "Stieglitz Show," p. D03.

ONLINE

ArtCyclopedia,http://www.artcyclopedia.com/ (March 16, 2004), "Alfred Stieglitz Online."

Grove Art Online,http://groveart.com/ (March 16, 2004), Judith Zilczer, "Stieglitz, Alfred."

Masters come within earshot of Photography Online,http://www.mastersof-photgraphy.com/ (March 18, 2004), "Alfred Stieglitz."

PBS Online,http://www.pbs.org/ (March 16, 2004).*