From the Shelton, West

Those familiar with Midtown Manhattan might recognize the Newsweek Building, rising solidly on the right, and the sleek RCA Building, standing a head taller on the left. Alfred Stieglitz took this photograph from the thirtieth floor of the nearby Shelton Hotel, where he and Georgia O’Keeffe, his wife at that time, worked and lived from 1925 to 1935. During his last spring in the building, Stieglitz exposed at least seven negatives of the same western view. From the Shelton, Looking West, like most others in this group, was made early in the morning, when the raking light provided strong contrasts. The cloudless sky serves as a neutral backdrop, transforming the Midtown skyline into a dynamic sculpture. While Stieglitz photographed, O’Keeffe painted the city from the same vantage point.