Who/What inspired Georgia O'Keeffe?
Before Georgia O'Keeffe's marriage in 1924, she got plenty of art-education from Wisconsin and Virginia. Not only did she attend to art schools, but she also had private art tutors to support her artistic skills even more, and influence her career at the same time. William Merritt Chase, a very famous painter of the 19th century was one of her mentors. And after she graduated her college, she managed to keep contact with art by teaching art in New York and Chicago. During these times, she got interested in Oriental Design (Japanese design). Arthur Wesley Dow, who conducted art classes in Columbia, had a system of art-education that was based on Oriental Themes. Dow also managed to influence O'Keeffe; she used this system to teach her own students in New York City and Virginia.
Now, after her marriage with Alfred Stieglitz in 1924, Alfred was the next person to influence her, with a sexual relationship. Also, through Alfred, she created many abstract paintings with some taste of "surrealism." But after Alfred's death, there came what really inspired her paintings: New Mexico.
The beautiful landscapes in New Mexico influenced Georgia O'Keeffe a lot; the natural world of it impressed her enough for her to create such brilliant paintings. (The picture above, was probably taken in New Mexico.) Georgia O'Keeffe had always been fascinated in the nature of landscape, despite the fact that she was a modernist. (Modernism was also one of her influences throughout her whole life.)
Now, after her marriage with Alfred Stieglitz in 1924, Alfred was the next person to influence her, with a sexual relationship. Also, through Alfred, she created many abstract paintings with some taste of "surrealism." But after Alfred's death, there came what really inspired her paintings: New Mexico.
The beautiful landscapes in New Mexico influenced Georgia O'Keeffe a lot; the natural world of it impressed her enough for her to create such brilliant paintings. (The picture above, was probably taken in New Mexico.) Georgia O'Keeffe had always been fascinated in the nature of landscape, despite the fact that she was a modernist. (Modernism was also one of her influences throughout her whole life.)
The New Mexico Landscape, the Greatest Influencer of Georgia O'Keeffe.
The Philosophy Behind Georgia's Art Work
Starting off with flowers, everybody has their own opinion about why she drew the flowers. Many say that she drew them in order to show the essence, the importance, and the beauty of a flower. Since a flower is so small, it seems insignificant, and people do not have time to take time and look at something small. She wanted to change this. However, other people claimed that she drew them with the intention of having them represent a woman's "intimate parts". Back in those days, many people considered them as ugly, and she wanted to show the real beauty out of it, too. Again, people denied this by declaring that she denied and despised it herself whenever the topic came up about it. Recently, there was a public debate about this, and in my opinion, they were both correct. <Take a look at the paintings "Flowers of Fire" and "Blue Flowers" in "Examples of Her Art Work on the top.>
Unlike flowers, there are no argument over why Georgia O'Keeffe drew bones, especially of animal skulls. She thought they were beautiful, and she wanted to express the beauty through painting, which she did. However, on paintings like "Pelvis in the Distance" do contain some awkward mysteriousness in it. Anyways, she had also painted the landscape because she was so attracted by the fascinating peculiarity of New Mexico, which was the greatest influence in Georgia O'Keeffe's part. But overall, I believe Georgia O'Keeffe painted her impressions and feelings of an object, and not of what she simply saw.
Unlike flowers, there are no argument over why Georgia O'Keeffe drew bones, especially of animal skulls. She thought they were beautiful, and she wanted to express the beauty through painting, which she did. However, on paintings like "Pelvis in the Distance" do contain some awkward mysteriousness in it. Anyways, she had also painted the landscape because she was so attracted by the fascinating peculiarity of New Mexico, which was the greatest influence in Georgia O'Keeffe's part. But overall, I believe Georgia O'Keeffe painted her impressions and feelings of an object, and not of what she simply saw.