Here’s a quote from Alfred Stieglitz referring to his series of cloud photographs which he called “Equivalents”.

“My cloud photographs are equivalents of my most profound life experiences, my basic philosophy of life. All art is an equivalent of the artist’s most profound life experiences.” – Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred Stieglitz, Equivalent, 1926

Alfred Stieglitz was an American photographer critic, gallery owner, and theorist who had a tremendous influence on photography and Modern Art in the early 20th Century. He was the first to exhibit works by European avant-garde artists Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brancusi, and Francis Picabia in America. He championed photography and Modern art by exhibiting photography, painting and sculpture in his galleries 291, The Intimate Gallery and An American Place and by publishing the quarterly magazine Camera Work. Stieglitz particularly favored Modernist artists such as Paul Strand, Edward Steichen, Arthur Dove, John Marin & Georgia O’Keefe.

His theory of Equivalence has a had a powerful influence on photographers such as Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan, Minor White, Paul Caponigro and many, many others.

To learn more about Stieglitz, his photography and his influence on Modern Art visit the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History at the Metropolitan Museum of Art website: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/stgp/hd_stgp.htm

Here are some great books on Alfred Stieglitz to add to your collection.