"Morning Glory with Black," Georgia O'Keeffe, 1926.
American Modernist painter O'Keeffe (1887-1986) is still respected and hailed as one of the great American artists, while also becoming something of a joke over the interpretations of her work.
She embraced Modernism in 1915 and much of her later work depicted natural forms in extreme closeup, reducing them to mere depictions of line and pattern. She was influenced by photography, likely reflected by her relationship and difficult marriage with photographer Alfred Stieglitz.
Many interpreted her work as representations of female body parts, and jokes about that still circulate. But she denied the interpretations and once said, "I have always been very annoyed at being referred to as a 'woman artist' rather than an 'artist'." She never considered herself a feminist but was always involved in women's rights and is still revered as a groundbreaker for women in the arts.
Sister Wendy Beckett once said there was a paradox: women artists are often overlooked and not taken seriously...but at the same time, what does the sex of the artist matter?
Happy Flower Friday!
From the Cleveland Museum of Art.
#Art #WomenArtists #GeorgiaOKeeffe #FlowerFriday #Modernism