Georgia O'Keeffe
By Sam Parrott
LIFE BRIEF
BACKGROUND SYMBOLISM
"Unmindful of what her classmates thought of her appearance, Georgia made friends easily. She impressed them with her artistic skills...she used her good sense of humor to put the other girls at ease. Georgia could also be arrogant at times..." (Berry 25-26)
Pick 3 Facts
The head of the advertising agency for the Dole Pineapple Company flew Georgia to Hawaii in 1938 with the exception that she make two paintings for them to use on their cans. "During her visit, she wanted to stay at the pineapple fields with the Native workers, but the Dole people turned down her request" (Berry 83) due to race and class. Later, she returned with her paintings, but they weren't what the company was looking for, so, after much convincing, O'Keeffe stubbornly agreed to paint the pineapple flower that was shipped from the island.
In 1934, Georgia found Ghost Ranch, a supposedly haunted dude ranch that was out in the New Mexican desert. It was one of her most plentiful periods, as she painted almost every minute there. "During the hottest part of the day, she sometimes lay in the only available shade, beneath her car" (Berry 78-79), and her old Ford Model A served as a nice retreat to the secluded wilderness she left to paint. Georgia ended up buying part of the "resort" and lived there until she died.
Accomplishment
In my opinion, Georgia has accomplished many things, besides leaving a lasting legacy on the world of art. Her paintings helped to shape the idea of abstract and modern painting in America. As well as being exceptional paintings and drawings, the artwork of O'Keeffe honed new perspectives for the audience to see, not just a still life of what was in front of her, but instead what she saw when she looked at it. Her stubborn attitude truly paved the road for women's art in her country, and because she denied the harsh criticism of her male counterparts, she aided in the freedom we now have today for female artists.
Struggles
Cow's Skull with Calico Roses
1931
From the Faraway, Nearby
36" x 40"
1937
Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue
3' 4" x 3' 0"
1931
Mentor/Friend
Blue River
16' 1/2" x 30' 1/2"
1935
Gerald's Tree I
1937
Drawing XIII
Awards
Oriental Poppies
30" x 40"
1928
Jimson Weed
1934
Petunias
18" x 30"
1925
Hobbies
Symbol
" [Georgia's] colleagues did not approve of [her] nontraditional methods. Many considered her eccentric and unsociable because she prefered to board at the Magnolia Motel rather than at the boardinghouse with the other teachers." (Berry 36)
Friend or Foe?
Abstraction
36" high
1979
Deer's Skull with Pedernal
36" x 30 1/8"
1936
Sky Above the Clouds III
48" x 84"
1963