Black Mesa Landscape (1930) by Georgia O’Keeffe
Georgia O’Keefe (1887-1986) was an artist of contradictions; though many knew her as a radical feminist, the artist always refused such label. And despite her flower paintings’ resemblance to female genitalia, O’Keefe never made a point of it, letting the work speak for itself.
Now some of her most iconic paintings together with some of her rarest works are on display at the Tate Modern in London, in a show spanning more than 13 rooms displayed in chronological order from 1915 to 1960.
Her abstract paintings of landscapes and flowers have made her the most famous American female painter, with the “Jimson Weed” painting selling for $44.4m dollars in 2014 – the highest price tag for a painting created by a female artist in the US. The Tate Modern’s collection not only presents a great number of her famous flower paintings but also photographs taken by her husband, Alfred Stieglitz, who is credited for jumpstarting her career. So in a sense, the exhibition works as the timeline of the relationship between O’Keeffe and Stieglitz through art, with his portraits of O’Keeffe and her paintings that indirectly reference Stieglitz.
Left: Jimson Weed(1932) by Georgia O’Keeffe. Right: White Iris(1930) by Georgia O’Keeffe
O’Keeffe is mostly known for incorporating subtle images of anatomy within her paintings, from the flower petals to even the backgrounds of landscapes. And she has even been credited as being the mother of American modernism – an accolade that has been downplayed because of her sex. The artist also had to constantly fight against having her work categorised as freudian, refusing to work in projects that referenced her as such, which further cemented her position as a feminist and leading modernist.
From Wisconsin to New York to New Mexico, O’Keeffe paints the contrasting perspectives of all her residences. Through the arresting colours and contrast in her paintings, her adoration for each of these places as clear, all of which played a massive role in her life as a painter and also as a strong female in the 20th century.
Left: Ansel Adams(1937) by Georgia O’Keeffe. Right: Georgia O’Keeffe(1918) by Alfred Stieglitz
Georgia O’Keeffe is at Tate Modern, London, until 30 October 2016