What can be said of the incomparable Georgia O'Keeffe. She was an innovator in style, created epic pieces that have withstood the test of time, and helped pioneer the movement of American Modernism. She has quickly become a true American icon and legend in the artistic world. Recently I had the opportunity to attended an exhibition of her work. The show, Georgia O'Keeffe In New Mexico: Architecture, Katsinam, And The Land, featured pieces that she had produced while living in New Mexico. It was a compilation of abstract landscapes, haunting Spanish style churches, and relics from her time in the southwest. For Georgia O'Keeffe, New Mexico was not just a land of incredible beauty and a medium for her to express her immense talent in, but a place to call home. In fact, she once said that "as soon as I saw it that was my country. I'd never seen anything like it before, but it fitted me exactly." From 1929 to 1953 she made annual pilgrimages from New York City to Ghost Ranch, her home home just to the north of Santa Fe. This was her most productive period, as the awe inspiring beauty of the land and it's magnificent colors took hold of her, and shaped her creativity.
This exhibit begins with an overview of the artistic life through a series of personalized photographs and some of her early work in New Mexico. This is immediately observed by the vertical canvases. O'Keeffe originally emphasised modernity and over the top grandeur with this vertical orientation. This first room consisted of Chinese roosters, and cactus flowers, and a cow skull, accented by a blooming flower. Contrary to most interpretations, O'Keeffe never intended for bones to represent death, but rather as a way to demonstrate contrast in a composition.
The second room was comprised of a series of incredible landscapes. These abstract landscapes were the defining feature of this period. She was inspired by the land and the colors that the light instilled upon it. Like most modernists, she utilized vibrant colors, reduced forms, and simplified compositions to convey the grandeur of this land. She also started to use more horizontal perspectives in her compositions. She did this in an attempt to illustrate an ancientness to the land. She felt that this land was endowed with a spirituality that was hidden within it.
As we head to the third room of the exhibit, I was surrounded by an array of Katsinam or Cachina Dolls. These tiny wooden figurines represent to the Hopi Indians a connection between themselves and the rain gods. Georgia O'Keeffe truly loved these colorful dolls and painted many portraits of them. The odd thing about this, is that she was extremely secretive of these paintings and had never exhibited or sold one in her life time. In fact, the first time these pieces were displayed to the public was after her death in 1986. These paintings are colorful, realistic, and possessed a sense of whimsicalness about them. Lastly, the fourth room in this extraordinary exhibit was centered around the Saint Francis of Assisi Church or as she called it "Rancho de Taos". This characteristic, colonial style church is the center piece for many of Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings. She was completely fascinated by it's organicness and how it appears to be an extension of the earth that itself. In fact, she usually painted this incredible church as if it was emerging from the ground.
As a whole, I felt that this exhibit exemplified the range of talent that Mrs. O'Keeffe possessed as well as highlighted a very productive and important time in her life. Above all, it gave me some remarkable insight into who she was as a person and demonstrated her talent as a true American Modernist.
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