An inspirational cow skull hangs over O'Keefe's home in New Mexico
Georgia O'Keeffe was born in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, in the fall of 1887. She studied art at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League in New York. It wasn't until the fall of 1915 that she really began to develop her own style of artistic expression, a style that would become part of American art history.
"Drawing XIII"
Charcoal abstracts like "Drawing XIII" would be the turning point in O'Keeffe's career. Up until this time, she had remained within the confines of art school lessons. With these abstracts, she asserted her independence from the traditional styles she had been taught. Drawn in 1915, "Drawing XIII" and several other charcoal works were sent to a gallery promoter in New York who offered to fund her painting for a year. "Drawing XIII" depicts four dark bulbs inside jagged zig-zig lines and smooth undulating waves. The entire piece is shaded with several layers of charcoal.
"Green Lines and Pink"
"Green Lines and Pink" is an 8-by-10-inch oil on canvas from 1919. At this time O'Keeffe was taking art classes as well as teaching them. She concentrated on abstraction. Prior to "Green Lines and Pink," she had worked mostly in charcoal. Starting to use a full complement of color and mixing watercolor and oils, O'Keefe found the mediums that would make her famous.
"Cow's Skull with Calico Roses"
In the early 1930s, O'Keeffe moved to New Mexico where she would remain for the rest of her life. Her affinity for the desert inspired her work for the next thirty years. "Cow's Skull with Calico Roses" from 1931 is just one of her famous and unconventional works to include of bones and flowers. O'Keeffe would walk around the desert collected bones, wood and other items she would later include in her projects. Of this work she said, "I painted my cow's head because I liked it and in its way it was a symbol of the best part of America I had found."
"Sky Above Clouds III"
As her life progressed her work found a calmer influence, O'Keefe continued to paint the mountains, sky and lands she loved but her work was softer and less defined. "Sky Above Clouds III" is a 1963 oil on canvas that depicts a blue and pink sky with clouds that sit atop the colors like lily pads. One thing she loved about the desert was the dry winds allowed her to see for miles, making her subjects, like the sky and horizon, clearer.
