American Masters (TV Series) Alfred Stieglitz: The Eloquent Eye (2001) User Reviews

Solid, well made biography

[runamokprods · 7/10 · 30 January 2013]

Solid, well made biography of master photographer Alfred Stieglitz.

I always admired Stieglitz's photography. What's fascinating, and new to me is what a huge influence Stieglitz had over early 20th century modern art in America. His influence went well beyond photography, and well beyond his own work.

Opening and operating his own gallery for years, he brought attention to the cutting edge of American and European artists. (He gave Picasso his first solo show in the U.S.) We also get glimpses into his marriage to the great Georgia O'Keefe.

While not the most emotional of documentaries, with a slight tendency to repeat itself, this is still a deserving and intelligent work, shedding light on a key moment in the development of modern art and culture.

Enlightening...

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 29 November 2011]

I knew absolutely nothing about Alfred Stieglitz before I watched this PBS film, so it was a nice chance to learn something new. I assume this is probably the same reaction most people have, as today Stieglitz isn't exactly a household name.

Stieglitz was genius photographer who wanted to to push the boundaries of his medium. He had a very artistic eye and vision and began a magazine intended to foster avant-garde art around the beginning of the 20th century. Now his friends and associates thought this meant just photography, but soon Stieglitz was promoting other forms--such as the modernist painters such as Matisse and Picasso--long before they gained any sort of a following in America. So, much of the film is about his art but the bulk of the story is about how he selflessly put aside his own highly respected art to foster that of new artists who were working out of the mainstream. There's much more to the film than this--including a marriage to Georgia O'Keefe. See the film and learn something.

Like any other PBS episode of "American Masters", this film was terrific. It screamed quality throughout and kept my attention--even when it was about an esoteric topic that I previously never thought much of one way or another--a sign that this is a very good production.