DAY 92

HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

The Study of Photography

ALFRED STIEGLITZ PROMOTES PHOTOGRAPHY AS ART FORM

An acclaimed giant in the world of photography for his impressive body of work, Alfred Stieglitz is also enormously important in the context of the history of photography because of his efforts to have the relatively new form elevated to the same status as other fine art disciplines, such as painting and sculpture. In addition to frequently exhibiting his own work and promoting the work of other artists, Stieglitz wrote extensive scholarly criticism, examining and, in fact, establishing some of the initial serious theories and aesthetics of photography.

In 1902, he formed a group called The Photo-Secession and opened the first of his several New York City galleries, exhibiting the work of fellow photographers who shared a similar approach to and philosophy about photography. In the same year, he also began to publish the quarterly journal, Camera Work, which featured high-quality reproductions and highlighted the work of contemporary progressive masters in the field. In 1905, he opened a new gallery known as 291, where, in addition to photography, he also exhibited work by radical painters Henri Mattise, Paul Cezanne, and Georgia O’Keefe (who would later become his wife), sculptor/painter Georges Braque, and sculptor Auguste Rodin as well as the work of African craftspeople.

After 291 closed and Camera Work printed its last issue, he opened The Intimate Gallery (1925–1929) and another, An American Place, in 1929, where he continued to exhibit paintings, sculpture, and photography until his death in 1946. —DJG