Georgia O'Keeffe
1915
Georgia O'Keeffe was a major figure in
American art in the 1920s.
She is known for paintings of flowers,
rocks, shells, animal bones, and landscapes.
She often transformed her subject
matter into powerful abstract images.
Georgia brought her American Art style
to Europe at a time when the majority
of influence flowed in the opposite direction
thus enhancing her art-historical importance.
She was one of few women to have gained
entry to this level of professional influence.
A major facter that determined her success was
due to her Mother's great influence and
determination for her daughters to be educated.
Education for women was a tradition in Goergia's family.
Georgia's mother, Ida had been educated in the East.
Education for women was a tradition in Goergia's family.
Georgia's mother, Ida had been educated in the East.
So, it was only natural,
that the next step Georgia would take,
after graduatiang high school,
was to enroll at the
School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Then in the summer of 1907,
she also attended the
she also attended the
Art Students League in New York City.
In the autumn of 1908, she became
very discouraged with her work
and became an elementary school
art teacher near Amarillo, Texas.
Her need to paint could not be quenched
and she was drawn to attend a class at
theUniversity of Virginaia Summer School.
She found inspiration by learning how to
express herself through the process of making art by
contrasting light and dark colors in her paintings.
1907
Self-Protrait of Alfred Steiglitz
In April 1916, Alfred Stieglitz,
her future husband,
her future husband,
saw her work and exhibited
ten of her drawings.
ten of her drawings.
He was quoted as
saying that they were the
saying that they were the
"purest, finest, sincerest things
that had entered 291
that had entered 291
( his gallery) in a long while."
Stieglitz organized annual
exhibitions of Georgia's work.
exhibitions of Georgia's work.
1918
Photograph of Alfred Stieglitz
Georgia was becoming
well known
well known
as one ofAmerica's
most important artists.
most important artists.
Her work commanded high prices;
in 1928 six of her
Calla Lily paintings sold for
Calla Lily paintings sold for
$25,000 US dollars,
which was the
largest sum ever paid
which was the
largest sum ever paid
for a group of paintings
by a living American artist.
by a living American artist.
This drew media attention
to Georgia as never before.
to Georgia as never before.
1918
Photogtraph by Alfred Stieglitz
Alfred and Georgia had fallen deeply
in love and in1924, they married.
Alfred was Georgia's only love even though
their relationship became very rocky at times.
They separated many times and actually
lived apart until the last years of Alfred's life
In the summer of 1946, Georgia left her
home in New Mexico, when he
home in New Mexico, when he
suffered a cerebral thrombosis.
She took care of him and stayed by his side
until he passed away in July of that same year.
1918-1921
Photograph of Alfred Stieglitz
In the midst of their struggles, they inspired
one another to produce the kind of art that came
without hesitation or fear to create what they
felt was real and true to themselves as artists.
1918
Phtograph by Alfred Stieglitz
And true to his own art, in February 1921,
forty-five of Stieglitz's photographs,
including many of Georgia, some in the nude,
were in an art exhibit at the Anderson Galleries.
The photographs of Georgia created a public sensation.
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1918
Photograph of Alfred Stieglitz
In 1932, Georgia suffered a nervous breakdown
following an uncompleted Radio City Music Hall
mural project that had fallen behind schedule.
She was hospitalized in early 1933
and did not paint again until January 1934.
In June of that year, she visited Ghost Ranch,
in New Mexico and decided immediately to live there.
The varicolored cliffs of the beautiful landscape
inspired some of her most famous works of art.
Georgia O'Keeffe"s Home in New Mexico
A loner, Georgia explored the
place she loved on her own.
place she loved on her own.
She bought a Ford Model A
and asked others to
and asked others to
teach her how to drive.
One of her frustrated teachers
One of her frustrated teachers
declared that she was unable
to learn the art of driving.
to learn the art of driving.
This only made her more determined
to learn and soon
to learn and soon
she was driving all over
her ranch with ease!
her ranch with ease!
Another view of Georgia O'Keeffe's Home in New Mexico
No matter the circumstance,
Georgia O'Keeffe was determined to never gave up !
Georgia O'Keeffe was determined to never gave up !
Even though she took several breaks from her painting,
she never completely gave up the need to create art.
After her nervous breakdown, her strong will and
determination never faltered.
She survived the personal storms
She survived the personal storms
in her life because her great love
to paint was stronger than
any crisis she had to face.
any crisis she had to face.
She worked continously to
perfect her craft by finding
perfect her craft by finding
new ways to express in her
art what she saw in
art what she saw in
the desert sky and landscape
she had grown so fond of.
she had grown so fond of.
Although simple in subject matter,
Georgia painted the
Georgia painted the
smallest of flowers and the largest
of desert rocks and bones,
of desert rocks and bones,
making powerful statements through the
abstract images she created on canvas.
Pencil drawing of Georgia O'Keeffe
In 1962, Georgia was elected to the fifty-member
American Academy of Arts and Letters.
In 1970, the Whitney Museum of American Art
mounted the Georgia O'Keeffe Retrospective Exhibition.
This exhibit did much to revive her public career.
It brought Georgia to the attention of a new
generation of women raised on the principles of feminism.
In 1971, at the age of 84, Georgia's eyesight
began to fail so quickly that within the next year,
she was forced to lay down her paintbrush
and stopped painting. She was suffering from an
eye degenerative disease that could not be cured.
At the age of 84, she was losing her central vision
due to an irreversible eye degeneration disease.
Even with her dimming eyesight,
her determination once again stood stong,
as she was inspired by others to paint again.
She hired a studio assistant to help her
to execute some of her ideas.
During this time she agreed to accept
interviews and other opportunities.
In 1976 she wrote a book about her art.
She also allowed a film crew to do
a documentary at Ghost Ranch.
Marble Memorial of Georgia O'Keeffe
On January 10, 1977,
President Gerald R. Ford
President Gerald R. Ford
presented Georgia with the
Presidential Medal of Freedom,
Presidential Medal of Freedom,
the highest honor awarded
to American citizens.
to American citizens.
In 1985, she was awarded
the National Medal of Arts.
the National Medal of Arts.
When she became increasingly frail,
Georgia moved to Santa Fe
and continued to paint only
weeks before her death on
March 6, 1986, at the age of 98.
weeks before her death on
March 6, 1986, at the age of 98.
She was cremated the next day and her
ashes were scattered at the top of the
Pedernal Mountain over her beloved "faraway".
***QUOTES***
I do not like the idea of happiness
– it is too momentary –
I would say that I was always busy
and interested in something
and interested in something
– interest has more meaning to me
than the idea of happiness
than the idea of happiness
The unexplainable thing in nature that makes me
feel the world is big fat beyond my understanding –
to understand maybe by trying to put it into form.
To find the feeling of infinity on the horizon line
or just over the next hill.
I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life -
and I've never let it keep me from
doing a single thing I wanted to do.
To create one's world in any of the arts takes courage.
You get whatever accomplishment
you are willing to declare.
I decided that if I could paint that flower in a huge scale,
you could not ignore its beauty.
Where I was born and where and how
I have lived is unimportant.
I have lived is unimportant.
It is what I have done with where
I have been that should be of interest.
I have been that should be of interest.
***Credits***
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