Georgia O'Keeffe

Georgia O'Keeffe was an American painter who is known for her large-scale paintings of the flowers and for her depictions of the landscapes of New Mexico. She is one of the most important artists of the American modernism.

Early Life and Education

O'Keeffe was born on a farm in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, in 1887. She was one of seven children and received the art lessons from an early age.

She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and at the Art Students League of New York. She worked as a commercial artist and a teacher in Texas and in Virginia.

She was inspired by the teachings of Arthur Wesley Dow, who emphasised the composition and the design over the realistic representation. She began to produce the abstract drawings that made her reputation.

The Flowers and the Abstraction

O'Keeffe produced a series of large-scale paintings of the flowers in the 1920s. The works of the calla lily and the iris are among her most famous.

The paintings were interpreted by the critics as the symbols of the female sexuality. She rejected the interpretation and insisted that the works were studies of the form and the colour.

She painted the skyscrapers of New York and the buildings of the city. The work explored the shapes and the perspectives of the modern urban life.

She explored the abstract forms inspired by the natural objects and the landscapes. The work influenced the development of the American modernism.

The New Mexico Period

O'Keeffe first visited New Mexico in 1929 and was deeply moved by the landscape. She settled there permanently in 1949 and made her home at the Ghost Ranch.

She painted the desert landscape, the bleached bones, and the adobe churches. The works reflect the wide horizons and the clear light of the region.

She made the series of the paintings of the pelvic bones against the sky. The images symbolise the isolation and the beauty of the desert.

She travelled widely and painted the scenes of the Hawaii and of the other places. She was a careful observer of the natural forms.

The Later Years and the Legacy

O'Keeffe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the National Medal of Arts in 1985. She was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

She was married to the photographer and the gallery owner Alfred Stieglitz. He promoted her work and the relationship was central to both of their careers.

She lost much of her sight in her later years and worked with the assistants. She died in 1986 in Santa Fe at the age of ninety-eight.

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum was established in Santa Fe in 1997. She is regarded as the mother of the American modernism.

The Flowers and the Form

O'Keeffe painted the flowers at a large scale so that the viewer would notice the form. She sought to capture the beauty and the structure of the flowers.

She rejected the sexual interpretation of the flowers. She insisted that the works were the studies of the form and the colour.

The petunias and the poppies and the calla lilies are among the most famous of the flower paintings. The works are the centre of her reputation.

The Desert and the Landscape

O'Keeffe was drawn to the desert landscape of New Mexico. She settled at the Ghost Ranch and painted the mountains and the mesas.

She painted the bleached bones and the adobe churches. The works express the beauty and the the isolation of the desert.

She explored the abstract forms inspired by the landscape. The works influenced the development of the American modernism.

The Honours and the Memory

O'Keeffe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the National Medal of Arts in 1985. She was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum was established in Santa Fe in 1997. It holds the largest collection of her works.

She is regarded as the mother of the American modernism. Her works are among the most valuable of the American art.

The Marriage and the Career

O'Keeffe married Alfred Stieglitz in 1924. He was the photographer and the gallery owner who promoted her work.

The relationship was central to both of their careers. He photographed her in the series of the portraits that are among his most famous works.

She spent the winters in New York and the summers in the Lake George. She painted the landscapes and the flowers of the two places.

The Recognition and the Legacy

O'Keeffe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts. She was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.