Online Art History Lesson / Design

Project

Revise one session of a high school art history course. Incorporate Hand of Man by Alfred Steiglitz into the lesson.

Role

Instructional Designer

Big Idea

A photograph is not simply a documentation, but an interpretation of a subject or scene by a photographer.

Lesson Storyboard

Overview/Introduction

The turn of the twentieth century brought to New York City towering skyscrapers, streets busy with electric trolleys and automobiles, and steam engines carrying passengers far and wide. Alfred Stieglitz, camera in hand, took to the streets to capture this bustling metropolis he called home.

EXPLORE

Stunning panoramic images from turn-of-the-century New York show the last vestiges of stone buildings and low-slung skyline

Browse these photographs of New York City at the turn of the century. Notice how bright skyscapers begin overshadowing older stone architecture, and horse and carriages share the streets with electric trolleys. What do you think it was like to be a resident of New York City at this time?

READ

Alfred Stieglitz, The Hand of Man

After reading this curator’s interpretation of Hand of Man, pause and take a close look at it yourself. What do you notice? Are there other ways this photograph can be interpreted? Does it make you feel a certain way?

READ

Hart Crane, Alfred Stieglitz, and Camera Photography

“America is the land of the Machine. In no other nation is the mechanical fact so close a part of life and growth...Perhaps therefore it is not accident, that the powerful vision which is Stieglitz should first have found itself through a machine,” wrote American novelist Waldo Frank.  

As you read this essay about poet Hart Crane and his admiration of Alfred Stieglitz, imagine what it must have felt like for these artists to see the landscape of New York City changing around them.

READ

Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946) and American Photography

Alfred Steiglitz led a new movement of photography at the turn of the century. As you read, reflect on Steiglitz’s efforts to have photography recognized as a creative medium, on par with painting and sculpture. Why do you think photography might not be considered art?

WATCH

Chuck Close photogravure printmaking process at Two Palms studio, NY

Watch this video which demonstrates the photogravure printing process—how Stieglitz preferred to print his photographs. Although the video features some modern technology to aid in the process, the steps are essentially the same as they were in Stieglitz’s day.  

As you watch the video, think about how the hand of the artist can come into play as a photo goes from negative to a print on paper.

WATCH

Catherine Opie: Sandusky, Ohio

In this Art21 short video, we follow contemporary photographer Catherine Opie around as she photographs her hometown. Listen to how Opie describes experiencing her hometown through her photography.

If they were alive at the same time, what kinds of conversations do you think Opie and Stieglitz might share?

CREATE

Time to pick up your camera! Take a photograph that represents where you live and share it with the class.  

When composing your photograph, think about Stieglitz’s Hand of Man. What was he thinking and how did he feel when he photographed that train? Why did he choose that particular location and scene?

DISCUSS

Reflect on what you learned about Alfred Stieglitz’s Hand of Man and photography. 

• How are the ideas and information presented connected to what you already knew?

• What new ideas did you get that extended or broadened your thinking in new directions?

• What challenges or puzzles have come up in your mind from the ideas and information presented?

Go to the Session Twelve Discussion Board and share your thoughts.