Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe
- Book Review,
by Laurie Lisle
From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Lynne Auld
This admiring and honest biography relates the story of Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986). Raised on a Wisconsin farm in a family of "irrepressible individualists," Georgia O'Keeffe is a self-reliant child who decides early to become an artist. She works steadily toward that goal, attending art schools and teaching when family misfortunes dictate. In 1916, a friend sends some of her drawings to Alfred Steiglitz, renowned photographer and champion of avant-garde art. He promptly exhibits them, proclaiming that they reveal "a woman on paper." Furious at his presumption, Georgia O'Keefe confronts him. They become lovers and later marry, beginning an energetic collaboration that lasts until his death. She wants to have a baby, but he insists that she choose between motherhood and art. He promotes her work, which immediately becomes famous for its sexually-suggestive imagery, an interpretation she resolutely denies. Finding it increasingly difficult to live in his orbit, she gradually establishes a pattern of spending six months with him in New York and six months apart in New Mexico, her "spiritual home." By the time Alfred Steiglitz dies in 1946, Georgia O'Keeffe has firmly established herself as an artist. "Besides having a rich talent, ambition, assistance, and virtually no doubt about the validity of her vision, O'Keeffe had the brains to match her artistic gift and guide its flowering." As she examines Georgia O'Keeffe's complex personality, her choices and her reactions to the social and physical landscape around her, Laurie Lisle succeeds in drawing an inspiring portrait of a truly original, courageous woman. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14.
Review
Christian Science Monitor This O'Keeffe will shock as much as amuse, chill as much as inspire.
Book Description
Georgia O'Keeffe, one of the most original painters America has ever produced, left behind a remarkable legacy when she died at the age of ninety-eight. Her vivid visual vocabulary -- sensuous flowers, bleached bones against red sky and earth -- had a stunning, profound, and lasting influence on American art in this century. O'Keeffe's personal mystique is as intriguing and enduring as her bold, brilliant canvases. Here is the first full account of her exceptional life -- from her girlhood and early days as a controversial art teacher...to her discovery by the pioneering photographer of the New York avant-garde, Alfred Stieglitz...to her seclusion in the New Mexico desert, where she lived until her death. And here is the story of a great romance -- between the extraordinary painter and her much older mentor, lover, and husband, Alfred Stieglitz. Renowned for her fierce independence, iron determination, and unique artistic vision, Georgia O'Keeffe is a twentieth-century legend. Her dazzling career spans virtually the entire history modern art in America.
About the Author
In addition to Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe, Laurie Lisle is the author of two books: Without Child: Challenging the Stigma of Childlessness and Louise Nevelson: A Passionate Life. She lectures widely on O'Keeffe and writes essays, articles and book reviews for various publications. Lisle lives with her husband in northwestern Connecticut and Westchester County, New York.
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