Georgia OKeeffe American Artist Georgia OKeeffe 1887 1986

Georgia O’Keeffe American Artist

Georgia O’Keeffe • 1887 -1986 • Born in Wisconsin, O’Keeffe was one of the 1 st women artists to gain national attention. • She became well known around 1916, after women had gained access to art training at colleges and universities in the United States.

O’Keeffe • O’Keeffe was of Irish and Hungarian descent. • She was the 1 st girl in her family, the 2 nd of seven children. • She told her family she wanted to become an artist at age 10 when she took a class from a local watercolor painter. • She attended college at the art institute of Chicago.

Georgia O’Keeffe • She is most famous for her abstract paintings, which was a very innovative technique in the 1910’s and 1920’s. • She revolutionized the tradition of flower painting by enlarging the blossoms and presenting them up close, as if seen through a magnifying lens.

Traditional Floral Still Lives, 1600’s

O’Keeffe • Her paintings of New York buildings, from the same decades have been recognized as compelling images of the modern city.

O’Keeffe • Beginning in 1929, O’Keeffe began working in New Mexico. • She visited the area many times and made New Mexico her permanent home in 1949. • She painted the unique landscapes, and bones and rocks she collected from the desert floor. • She became the ultimate Southwestern painter; the area she lived and worked in is still known as “O’Keeffe Country. ”

O’Keeffe • O’Keeffe lived til the age of 98. • She developed macular degeneration, which compromised her eyesight and she stopped painting in 1972. • She continued to draw with pencil/ charcoal until 1984. • She also learned a new skill, and began to work with clay.

Art Elements and Principles to be aware of… • • • Elements: Line Color Shape Value • Principles: • Proportion/Scale

Ideas to Zoom in on… • • • Flowers Leaves Fruit Vegetable Shell Insect Skull Rocks Anything Natural