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.
