A busy day Friday, preparing two long stories for our Democratic National Convention special section running next month. Suddenly it was 10 p.m. and I looked up, thinking, "Oh, the blog." Late, and no gas in the tank. So, apologies. This isn't much, but it'll have to do. Besides, it's Saturday. You shouldn't be cooped up, reading. Get outside. That's what I plan to do.
Look at the painting above, "The Shelton with Sunspots, N.Y." by Georgia O'Keeffe. It's part of the permanent collection of the Art Institute, but currently on display with its exhibit of her Manhattan paintings, "My New Yorks."
The show works on a number of levels. First, one tends to think of O'Keeffe as a Southwest artist — all those cow skulls and giant vulvic flowers. So it's disorienting to think of her in a New York flat, at the Shelton, where she moved in 1924, the tallest apartment building in the world at the time. There she painted the factory landscapes she saw from her window. Looking up, she captured buildings framing the sky in a way that echoed the canyon walls she found in New Mexico.
The show works on a number of levels. First, one tends to think of O'Keeffe as a Southwest artist — all those cow skulls and giant vulvic flowers. So it's disorienting to think of her in a New York flat, at the Shelton, where she moved in 1924, the tallest apartment building in the world at the time. There she painted the factory landscapes she saw from her window. Looking up, she captured buildings framing the sky in a way that echoed the canyon walls she found in New Mexico.
Second, you realize that she was doing these skyscraper paintings at the same time she was doing those Southwest paintings, basically commuting between the two places with the seasons, like a bird.
And third, the exhibit reminds visitors of her sheer technical skill. The above painting tricks the brain to think you're looking at a dazzling sun peeking out from behind a building. The viewer practically squints. You have to pause, and look a second time, to realize you're just regarding regular yellow and white paint. An incredible achievement. "My New Yorks" runs through Sept. 22.
And third, the exhibit reminds visitors of her sheer technical skill. The above painting tricks the brain to think you're looking at a dazzling sun peeking out from behind a building. The viewer practically squints. You have to pause, and look a second time, to realize you're just regarding regular yellow and white paint. An incredible achievement. "My New Yorks" runs through Sept. 22.
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| "East River from the 30th Story of the Shelton Hotel." Not the sort of image much associated with Georgia O'Keeffe, who manages to make the industrial landscape almost whimsical. Maybe it's the tugboat. |
Amen on all levels
ReplyDeletei like the East River painting far more than the other two. The detail is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI am itching to see it so bad! I live in Mundelein, so I will take the train and hope my knee and I can walk to the AI. Trouble is, I have no one to go with😢
ReplyDeleteThere’s no denying O’Keeffe’s prowess as an artist, and the AIC show is terrific. Still it never hurts to have a boyfriend, later husband, running a major NYC art gallery. Talent also needs opportunity.
ReplyDeleteMy first wife was a painter, and was really into the work of Georgia O'Keeffe. When the Art Institute had a huge and dazzling exhibition of her work in the Eighties, we went downtown to see it a number of times. Landscapes from both New York and the Southwest. It was always crowded. No timed tickets back then...we took the "L" and we took our chances. Hell, there were no tickets needed, period. Admissions were no longer free, just "suggested donations" at the doors.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, though brief, summation, Mr. S. Few people know that Ms. O'keeffe was an alum of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a young apprentice in the museum's conservation department in 1970, I had the privilege of meeting her. It's a long story, but suffice it to say, I will never forget that day. If any of you get to see the exhibit, you might want to wander to the end of Gunsaulus Hall to see her painting "Sky Above Clouds IV". It is a masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteShe also grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, and if you go to the art museum in Milwaukee, they present her as a Wisconsin artist who also worked other places. I knew the woman, Gabriella Rosenbaum, who gave "Sky Above Clouds IV" and four other O'Keeffe canvases to the museum. She and her husband made their money sellling popcorn in movie theaters.
DeleteNeil, thank you for that follow up about Gabriella Rosenbaum. The curator at the time I met O'Keeffe was Jim Speyer, who included "Sky Above Clouds IV" in the 1970 American Exhibition. It took more than a decade before AIC acquired it thanks to Mrs. Rosenbaum. You amaze me with your knowledge and love of art, if I may call it that.
DeleteWe went to the O'Keeffe exhibit a couple weeks ago and really enjoyed it. It actually doesn’t include all that many works, but is in the big special exhibit space, which I appreciated, as folks were more spread out while viewing it than sometimes and it allowed for some interesting placements.
ReplyDeleteOf the river paintings on display, you've included my favorite with this post.
I always think it's cool at an exhibition like this to see paintings that were once displayed together in a gallery or show when new, then dispersed to various museums, brought together again in one place.
Plus, unless I'm mistaken, aside from the show itself, they've put more paintings of hers out in a nearby regular room than I believe I've seen before.
Here's a link to the 6-minute video that they're running in the exhibition space:
https://www.artic.edu/videos/175/georgia-o-keeffe-my-new-yorks-exhibition-stories
Started the day at Montrose Beach dog park at 7 AM. Uncouped. The lake was flat. The dogs were thrilled. Good advice.
ReplyDeleteCame back to EGDD to reread your short piece as I rarely remember early morning events a remnant of long covids effects.
Reading the comments and checking out Jakash' link I learned much about Ms. O'keeffe I somehow have missed even after nearly forty years as a fan and part-time resident of New Mexico.
Thanks for all this. I too plan to drag my solitary self downtown for a look.
Short but perfect piece Neil
Coincidentally, I went to the Art Institute Friday with some out-of-town friends, and we paid the additional fee for the O’Keeffe exhibit. Truly money well spent. I had known nothing of her “New Yorks.” My favorites were the one of the river shown above and New York Night, whose contrast of light and darkness was remarkable. I’d include a link, but none of the online images I found did it anything approaching justice.
ReplyDeleteCoey
This is the best collection of her artwork I've ever seen.
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