Georgia O’Keeffe was born in 1887 near Sun Prairie, WI. In 1905, she began her studies at the Art Institute of Chicago and continued in New York where she met, and eventually married, the renowned photographer Alfred Stieglitz. In 1946, the New York Museum of Modern Art organized a large-scale retrospective of her work, its first one-person show devoted to a woman. Georgia O’Keeffe died in Santa Fe in 1986, shortly before her 99th birthday.
John Loengard, born in New York City in 1934, received his first assignment for Life magazine in 1956 and joined the magazine’s staff in 1961. His book Pictures under Discussion won the Anselm Adams Award in 1987.
48 duotone and 26 color plates
This elegant illustrated book is an illuminating look at the life and work of celebrated American painter O'Keeffe. Visiting her in 1966 and '67 for a Life magazine feature, photojournalist Loengard photographed O'Keeffe at her two properties in the New Mexico desert doing everything except painting-a "photographic cliché" that O'Keeffe wanted to avoid. It turns out that these moments, which catch her sorting through boxes of bones and snake rattles or walking in the desert with her dogs in tow, tell us plenty about O'Keeffe and her work. The book pairs Loengard's photos with selected O'Keeffe paintings, either because the painting appears in the photo or because the photo's composition mirrors the painting's. In either case, the side-by-side presentation affords a rich viewing experience that elevates appreciation of both. One caveat: the only text is contained in a few pages of introductory material, short bios of each artist and some quotes from O'Keeffe scattered throughout. Despite a lack of analysis, those looking to learn more about O'Keeffe should relish the opportunity to step inside her world, and the sheer beauty of the book makes it a happy find for anyone looking to add an attractive volume to their collection.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.