Long before Georgia O’Keeffe started painting flowers or the great landscapes of the Southwest, she explored total abstraction and monochrome palate beginning in 1912. She delved deep into the world of Zen Buddhist inspired art making to get to the very essence of thing, not an imitation, but the TRUTH...the Zen way of seeing the world...
2. The Concept:
Long before Georgia O’Keeffe started
painting flowers or the great
landscapes of the Southwest, she
explored total abstraction and
monochrome palate beginning in
1912. She delved deep into the world
of Zen Buddhist inspired art making to
get to the very essence of thing, not an
imitation, but the TRUTH...the Zen way
of seeing the world...
3. Georgia O’Keeffe
July 19, 1915
Georgia O'Keeffe during her time
at the University of Virginia
Photographer: Rufus W.
Holsinger (1866–1930)
4.
5. Georgia O’Keeffe: A Portrait –Hands and Watercolor by
Alfred Stieglitz 1917
The book will explore her formative years…
6. Dead Rabbit and Copper Pot
Georgia O’Keeffe, 1908
While studying at the Art Students League in New York, she won
the League's William Merritt Chase still-life prize for her oil
painting. Despite the award, the traditional art education route
left her searching for more inspiration…
7. The influence of Japanese Zen Buddhism began
to permeate the Modern art movement in
France beginning in the 1860’s.
These artists began to paint The Buddha and
explore new inspiration for their art:
~ Odilon Redon
~ Paul Gauguin
~ Vincent Van Gogh
12. Masters of Japanese woodblock printing heavily
influenced the modern artists working in Paris
Hokusai painting the
Great Daruma in 1817
Cranes from Quick Lessons in
Simplified Drawing
13. Vincent Van Gogh (R) copying Katsushika Hokusai (L)
Vincent Van Gogh often copied the Japanese
Master, Katsushika Hokusai
14. Portrait of Père Tanguy,
Vincent van Gogh, 1887
(note the Japanese
paintings in background)
15. (2nd) Portrait of Père Tanguy,
by Vincent van Gogh, 1887
(note the Japanese paintings
in background)
16. The Great Wave off Kanagawa, an ukiyo-e woodblock print by
Japanese artist, Katsushika Hokusai, c. 1830 -1833
18. Yoshitsune Falls, from the
series Famous Waterfalls in
Various Provinces
Katsushika Hokusai, 1833
19. While studying at the Art Students League in NYC, Georgia attended
the Auguste Rodin show of drawings in 1908 and meets Stieglitz
briefly. She will meet him again in 1916…
Nude by Auguste Rodin,
c.1900 from Rodin
Exhibition gallery 291, c.
1908
20. Stieglitz opened the first gallery in the U.S. to exhibit modern art.
Gallery 291 was an apartment located at 291 5th Avenue. Photo c. 1908
24. In 1914 she began her
studies with Arthur
Westley Dow and she
begins to experiment with
a monochrome palate
No. 13 Special, 1916/1917
Charcoal on paper
25. She later incorporate
the color blue into her
works.
Kandinsky wrote a
book in 1912,
Concerning the
Spiritual in Art, in
which he claims blue is
the color of spirituality
29. Georgia O’Keeffe meets Alfred
Stieglitz again…
Stieglitz is “the father of
modern photography”, founder
of gallery 291, founder of
Camera Work photographic
journal, and her future
husband.
Self-portrait, 1887
30.
31.
32. The turning point:
In 1914 Georgia studies
with her mentor, Arthur
Westley Dow at
Teachers College at
Columbia University.
38. Arthur Dow’s associate and
mentor:
Ernest F. Fenollosa
He became the expert on
Japanese art working between
Japan and Boston University
39. Arthur W. Dow published his
revolutionary book
Composition, 1899
It explored Zen Buddhist
inspired Japanese art making.
40. Exercise No. 66 on “No-tan” by
Arthur W. Dow for Composition
41.
42. Evening Star , Georgia O’Keeffe 1917
Georgia O’Keeffe moves to Amarillo, TX
and paints the Texas landscape
43. In 1916 her friend Anita Pollitzer sends Alfred Stieglitz her work
without her knowledge. Stieglitz tries to show the works at 291
without her permission. This begins their friendship….
46. Stieglitz shows these photos of
O’Keeffe in a very controversial
exhibition in NYC. Stieglitz later
leaves his wife and child and they
get married.
53. Learn more about
Georgia O’Keeffe:
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Enjoy.
www.theartistorychannel.com
Sharon M. Fitzgerald, MA