19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Breathtaking!, January 19, 2003
This review is from: Alfred Stieglitz - The Eloquent Eye [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This documentary is one of the finest I have seen. It chronicles the life and work of Alfred Stieglitz, with reflections by his wife, artist Georgia O'Keefe, and several other important 20th Century American artists and photographers. The film is illustrated with many of Stieglitz' powerful photographs and demonstrates his singular impact on photography as an art form. Stieglitz' support and influence on other artists is explored, as are exhibitions of paintings, photography and literary works that he introduced to the public via his New York galleries and his publication "Camera Works". I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BEAUTIFUL FILM!!!
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A New Vision for a Modern World, February 6, 2004
This 90 minute American Masters documentary chronicles the journey of photographer Alfred Stieglitz, whose life closely parallels the birth of the Modernist Art movement within American culture. The story begins in late 1880's Berlin, with Stieglitz ending his studies as a mechanical engineering student to take up intensive self study in the then new medium of photography. With an allowance from his supportive father, he traveled to Austria and Italy making many early photographs.
In 1893, we find Stieglitz in New York City, where he begins his struggle to help make the practice of photography become recognized as a serious form of artistic expression. By 1902, along with a group of accomplished photographers, he formed an organization called the Photo Secession. Their highly coveted publication, "Camera Work", was propagated throughout the city by word of mouth.
From 1902 to 1907, Stieglitz championed the work of other photographers, rather than his own work, in a new gallery at 291 5th avenue. Gradually, the gallery shows began to include works of new painters from Europe, in addition to those first works of the New York photographers. An early exhibit of the work of Picasso at "291" in 1911, was Picasso's first one-man show in the United States.
With the American involvement in World War I during 1917, Gallery 291 closed and the publication of "Camera Work" ceased. Stieglitz's correspondence with painter Georgia O'Keeffe helped to sustain him through these emotionally difficult years of social isolation. In 1922, O'Keefe and Stieglitz were married. Stieglitz made approximately 300 intimate portraits of O'Keeffe around this time, creating one of the first deeply devotional photographic portrait series ever attempted.
With the advent of the great depression, Stieglitz's anarchist sensibilities began to clash with the collectivist mood of the time. This led to a body of profoundly elegiac portraits of New York City, completed during the later years of his life. In 1937, Stieglitz laid down his camera, abandoning further photography. He died during the year 1946.
This documentary details the work of an astonishing range of visual artists and writers whose lives were intertwined with the life of Alfred Stieglitz. It allows each artist to "speak the truth as they see it" and will make a welcome addition to any comprehensive study on the history of modern art.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who can ever forget ..., October 28, 2004
the hand portraits this artist took of his wife, lover, and muse Georgia O'Keeffe? There are some artists who walk this planet who are what I call "hub" artists, meaning that without their presence there would be no "spoke" artists. And when you take the time to review who his spoke artists were then you can begin to get a glimpse of the power and influence of this great mind.
This man not only mentored some of the greatest minds in the timeline of art but he inspired and supported them in ways that led to their achievments. Names such as Picasso are just a few. In the day when French Impressionists were literally snubbed and pushed out of the art community he created a place for them, gave them a home, gave them a boost.
Any serious art photographer must have this on their studio shelf, as well, any serious art photography University level program is sure to include this in the standardized required texts for the course syllabus'.
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