What is Steichen’s creative trajectory?

In 1895, Steichen began to teach himself photography and soon distinguished himself in photography salons in Europe and the United States. In 1899, at the Second Salon of Philadelphia, his photographs were publicly exhibited for the first time. In 1901, 35 of his photographs were included in the exhibition "New Schools of American Photography", which was exhibited in London and Paris. At this time, he was recommended as a member of the Serial Club. In 1902, Steichen joined the Photographic Breakers, and some of his low-key, soft-focus portraits and landscape photographs were exhibited in the Photographic Breakers exhibition.

After helping Stieglitz build Hall 291, Steichen went to Europe. In Paris, he was deeply impressed by Rodin's works. Inspired by Rodin's works, he took many outstanding photos, of which "The Thinker" is his masterpiece. In this photo, Steichen broke the traditional concept that portraits are "reproduction of form" and pursued the expression of character traits. In the picture, Rodin is standing in his studio. There are two statues next to him. The bronze statue is his masterpiece "The Thinker" and the white marble statue is the statue of the writer Victor Hugo. Both statues are out of focus, glowing with ghostly light like reliefs. Rodin is arranged in the lower left corner of the picture, and his silhouette outlines his hand on his chin in contemplation. It echoes with the bronze statue "The Thinker", making people think that they are both "thinkers". Here, thought, art, and sculpture are integrated, harmoniously unified and symbolic, giving people the power to think deeply.

During World War I, Steichen was employed as a photographic consultant for the United States Air Force Reconnaissance Service. After the war, he gave up his previous pictorial photography and replaced it with a clear, clear and realistic style. In order to take photos that are clear and rich in tone, he once placed a set of white tea sets in front of a black velvet background, changed different lights and angles, and took thousands of photos. Finally, he took the most detailed of this set of tea sets. , the most subtle black, gray and white tones are vividly expressed.

In the 1920s, Steichen began engaging in fashion photography and became the chief photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair. The fashion he photographed abandoned unrealistic backgrounds and rigid postures, using daily life environments and paying attention to capturing photos in action, bringing a fresh and lively atmosphere to fashion photography. At that time, many photographers imitated his style, consciously or unconsciously.

During World War II, Steichen once again served as a photography consultant for the U.S. Air Force and organized a film festival called "Path to Victory" to promote the Allied victory.