In 1902, when he founded the movement of the Photo-Secession and launched the Camera Work magazine, Alfred Stieglitz offered however another way forward. The subject has no limits, allowing the most daring angles and compositions. The perfection of negatives and prints is not only a technical feat : it must allow to approach more closely the reality of the vision and to generate emotion.
Stieglitz and Steichen manage to photograph the impossible : rain, snow, night. In 1904, Edward Steichen photographed a pond in moonlight. A 40 x 50 cm platinum print was sold for $ 2.9 million including premium by Sotheby's on 14 February 2006.
Executed in 1915 by Stieglitz, Out of window - 291 - NY is also an outstanding image. It snowed at 291 which was the name of Stieglitz's gallery at 291 5th Avenue. The artist looks at the tree through the window. He waits for twilight to get the best light on the branches before the background is darkened by the night. A 25 x 20 cm platinum print is estimated $ 400K, for sale by Sotheby's in New York on December 11, lot 8.
Stieglitz was so pleased with the atmosphere in this photograph that he gave to Charles Sheeler another print that Sheeler later presented to the Museum of Modern Art.