Went with Kokyat to have a look at the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit at the Whitney. An Alfred Stieglitz photo of O'Keeffe above. The galleries where the O'Keeffe works were (beautifully) displayed were jammed with people this evening making the reverie they require next to impossible. There was so much to take in and though we passed thru the galleries twice I still felt we missed some things.
The exhibit, subtitled Abstractions, concentrates on works other than the sensuous flowers and vivid landscapes for which O'Keeffe is best known. Colours and contours entice the eye at every turn; in these works O'Keeffe was often inspired by human or natural forms which she distilled in her imagination into abstract images and then recorded them on canvas. Above, Blue Green Music, 1921.
In some of the works which were most appealing to me, dark tones or muted greys dominated. The earliest works (such as the above charcoal on paper) date from 1915...
...thru to Sky Above the Clouds (1962), above.
O'Keeffe has inspired countless artists and photographers over the year, Kokyat among them. It's a pity the Whitney does not allow photography because I would love to see what Kokyat might have produced from the exhibit as well as from the permanent collection and the interior features of the building itself.
The O'Keeffe Abstractions will show at the Whitney thru January 17, 2010 and if you have an opportunity to see go it is very worthwhile both on its own terms and as a prologue to the best-known works the artist would later produce.
Above, another Stieglitz photo of Georgia O'Keeffe dating from 1918.
Don and I still haven't gotten to this exhibit yet. We are, however, charter members of the O'Keeffe museum in Santa Fe (we were just there this summer. I love it there so much!).This exhibit will be in Santa Fe this summer. The clouds photo above is
in my living room ( a print). There are many fascinating bios of Georgia as well (I'm a huge fan). Plus Stieglitz is probably my favorite photographer (his NYC images are
beyond adjectives).
Thanks for sharing your visit with us!
Posted by: Deborah | November 14, 2009 at 08:21 AM
Kokyat and I were even talking about a trip to Santa Fe...unlikely it will ever happen but fun to imagine.
Posted by: Philip | November 14, 2009 at 08:48 AM
...I hope you can get over to the Whitney, Deborah, because you will LOVE this exhibit!
Posted by: Philip | November 14, 2009 at 08:50 AM
Thanks for the info on this exhibit, Philip. We will try to go see it when we are in NY for the NYCB Gala. I love Georgia!
Posted by: Jeannie | November 14, 2009 at 01:30 PM