Student Research

Erin Frier

Stieglitz's Modern America

Abstract: I began with the question: How did Alfred Stieglitz define and conceptualize American modernism in the early 20 th century, and how was he able t o realize his vision? I investigated Stieglitz's evolving roles and visions as he formed his circle of artists, critics, and writers, and how he orchestrated a series of exhibit ions from 1905 to 1946 that challenged Americans, as no one else at that time did so consistently, to ask new questions about both themselves and the modern culture they were constructing. By researching exhibition programs, critics reviews, memoirs, and works of art, I analyzed the climate of the art world in America in the early 20 th century, the philosophy and provocative debate that took place, Stieglitz's Photo­Secession and the articles of Camera Work and the art and ideas under discussion at his gallery at 291, and how these elements inspired American artists to work in new and challenging ways.

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