About Georgia O'Keeffe

Georgia O'Keeffe enjoys a prominent place among American artists for her role in the development of a unique American style. Today, O'Keeffe's work still manages to inspire many artists in all areas of the world. Considered revolutionary in her day for both her work and for being one of the few woman to occupy such high regard in the art world at the time, O'Keeffe's legacy is a powerful one to all who believe in the power of the creative spirit.

In 1887, in a farmhouse close to the town of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, Georgia O'Keeffe was born. The second of seven children, her parents were of Irish and Hungarian descent and earned their living through dairy farming. Education was a family tradition in the O'Keeffe household for both the boys and the girls. At a young age, O'Keeffe's mother enrolled each of the children in art classes and it was noted that Georgia, in particular, showed an early aptitude.

After attending two high schools in Wisconsin and a third in Virginia when her parents moved there, O'Keeffe enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for two years before spending another two years studying under William Merritt Chase at the Art Students League in New York City. Later, O'Keeffe was awarded a scholarship for further studies at the leagues' summer school in Lake George, New York. After a break from painting following personal frustration with her work, the artist took a class at the University of Virginia and was introduced to the ideas formed by Arthur Wesley Dow. Dow's philosophy was that art was a form of expression of an artist's feelings and personal ideas. This philosophy had a profound impact on O'Keeffe and was revolutionary at the time. Later, O'Keeffe moved back to New York City and began studying at Teacher's College while putting Dow's ideas to the test in the search for her own style.

Though working in varying mediums, O'Keeffe is remembered most for her medium-sized oil works depicting the natural world. Flowers, animal skulls, shells, rocks, the occasional man made structure and landscapes. But rather than merely painting them realistically, she combined unique representations of these objects with an abstract quality that was unknown at the time. During her lifetime, American artwork was heavily influenced by European styles. But O'Keeffe's work was unique in that her style often influenced Europe and was much heralded. Beyond this, not many women reached her level of influence in the art world.

The photographer Alfred Steiglitz played a prominent role in Georgia's life. It was through his well-known, avant-garde gallery on Fifth Avenue that she would have her first exhibition. Steiglitz thought highly of her work and covered all her expenses for a year so she might pursue her work in more depth. The Steiglitz family owned a home in the Lake George area of New York, and the the two would often retreat to this area, where Georgia created numerous works. Eventually, O'Keeffe moved to the lake permanently, still being supported by Steiglitz, and not long after the two were married.

O'Keeffe lived to be 98 years old. Though her eyesight began to fail her in the early seventies, O'Keeffe continued to paint and began dabbling in pottery as well. She died in Sante Fe, New Mexico on March 6, 1986. As late as two weeks before her death, O'Keeffe continued to paint.

Georgia O'Keeffe has numerous excellent paintings hung in some of the best museums in the country. Some of these works include "Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue" and "A Storm" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, "Black Cross, New Mexico" at The Art Institute of Chicago, "Poppies" at the Milwaukee Art Museum and numerous works at The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Sante Fe, New Mexico.