Georgia O'Keeffe

“Georgia came out of nowhere, a woman with no wealth, no connections, born in Wisconsin in 1887, the daughter of an art teacher and a farmer” ( Gorilla Girls, 74)

Georgia O'Keeffe, 1918
Alfred Stieglitz (American, 1864–1946)

Georgia O’Keeffe is possibly one of the most famous artists in history, her trajectory is absolutely incredible. She was a unique character that created art that was hard to recreate, Georgia was bold and fearless. Feminists back then and till today look up to O’Keeffe, she had paved the road for other female artists and females in general. O’Keeffe was the first female to make it to “ The Art world with the big boys.” ( GG, 75) as well as being the first female to have a retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art. As any other women during the 20th Century, she was constantly criticized and discriminated because of her gender. This was no surprise, because throughout history patriarchy has always dominated society. Yet it wasn’t until the 20th century that a new wave of change was rolling in, this new wave was called Feminism  and it was rolling in full force hoping to bring a new era of change. During this time period women wanted to be liberated, they wanted to set themselves free from societal roles and norms. Women wanted to break away from conservatism and the ideals that women belonged to men. Majority of these feminists were artists and were expressive through their art. O’Keeffe was one of these feminists that many

either idolized or simply hated.

Black Iris, 1926
Georgia O'Keeffe (American, 1887–1986)

“Women can only create babies, say the scientists, but I say they can produce art — and Georgia O’Keeffe is the proof of it.”( Chadwick, 306). O’ Keeffe had true talent that could not be easily dismissed, in 1916, a well-known photographer by the name of Alfred Stieglitz had made one of the biggest talent discoveries of the century. He truly believed in O’Keeffe and helped promote and exhibit her art as any other enthusiastic supporter would. O’Keeffe had originally studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, and then later on at the New York Art Student’s League. She had always been true to herself and her art never really followed any trends or movements, she created what she envisioned. “She recorded subtle nuances of color, shape, and light that enlivened her paintings and attracted a wide audience. Her primary subjects were landscapes, flowers, and bones, explored in series over several years and even decades. The images were drawn from her life experience and related either generally or specifically to places where she lived.” ( Messinger) Some of her most controversial paintings would be the ones that displayed flowers, most critics claimed that her paintings were erotic, “Her large canvasses of lush overpowering flowers filled the still lifes with dynamic energy and erotic tension.” (PBS.org)

Georgia O'Keeffe, ca. 1960
Michael A. Vaccaro (American, born 1922)

O’Keeffe had been a teacher before she fully dedicated herself to art, thanks to Stieglitz encouragement she made the drastic choice of abandoning everything and moving to New York. She had decided to marry the man that passionately supported her from the beginning. Stieglitz was that man, and it is needless to say that he definitely played a major role in her career as he exhibited majority of O’ Keeffe’s work in galleries. Her works were exhibited at The Anderson Galleries from 1923 to 1925; and later at the Intimate Gallery from 1925 to 1929; and finally at an American Place from 1929 until Stieglitz’s death in 1946. O’Keeffe had made deep connections with some of the most distinguished early modernists, which helped her gain more credibility and validation as an artist in society.

O’Keeffe was known to paint from her life experience and places she had lived in, most of her famous work was related to New York in the beginning of her career. As she had lived in the Shelton Hotel, it was said that she had a perfect view of the skyline and majority of her work focused on New York’s skyscrapers. When O’Keeffe moved to New Mexico her art had evolved once again, “ Her paintings of New Mexico scenes became iconic contributions to American Modernism.” Her oil paintings and watercolor paintings were always admired for its vibrant colors and abstractness. As talented as she was she was never credited properly like any other male artist would be, instead “ She was accorded star status, but only at the top of female class.” ( Chadwick, 306)  O’Keeffe did not appreciate this and had said “ The men liked to put me down as the best woman painter. I think I’m one of the best painters.” ( GG, 75)

Besides being titled as one of the most iconic American artists, O’ Keeffe had also been granted the Medal of Freedom in 1976 by President Gerald Ford. She had also achieved to get a best seller through her illustrated autobiography titled “ Georgia O’Keeffe”. On March 6, 1986 she died in Santa Fe at the age of 98, and till this day, her work is still considered as both controversial and inspiring, many museums around the world still display majority of her art.  

Work Cited 

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: Thames and Hudson, 1990. Print.

The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: Penguin, 1998. Print.

"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Michael A. Vaccaro: Georgia O'Keeffe (61.565.36). N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.

 PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.