9781422276471

INTRODUCTION

With the support of Stieglitz and the help of early positive reviews and sales, O’Keeffe was able to devote herself entirely to painting. She created abstrac- tions that attempted to capture the sensations of the Texas plain; the innovative construc- tion of New York City skyscrapers at night; the rural landscapes and still lifes of Lake George; and, of course, the gorgeous flowers for which she would become famous. All were pro- duced in the brilliant, light-filled colors and meticulously delineated patterns she found

through her resolute study of detail. O’Keeffe had an almost oriental sense of simplicity that she credited to her training with Alon Bement who, as she said, taught her “to fill a space in a beautiful way.” Stieglitz, in return, acknowledged that O’Keeffe inspired him artistically with her lack of emphasis on formal theory. He began his photographic “por- trait” of her in 1917 and continued it for the rest of his life. He created hundreds of prints of her, zero- ing in on her expressive hands, face, and body, and the intimate focus of these nudes gave the photo- graphs an instant, erotic charge. In 1923 Stieglitz presented one hundred of O’Keeffe’s pictures at the Anderson Gallery on Park Avenue, where he had been offered exhibition space. A month later, he exhibited a group of his intimate portraits of her nude body. The critical response to O’Keeffe’s work became forever complicated by her prominent status as an artist and a model, encour- aging speculation about the possible sexual and symbolic aspects of her own art. Stieglitz encour- aged these interpretations, but O’Keeffe found the questions invasive and continued to insist that her paintings should be able to speak for themselves. O’Keeffe was a remarkably independent woman

Lake George A lfred S tieglitz , 1922–23; photograph. The Alfred Stieglitz Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Stieglitz created hundreds of prints of O’Keeffe’s

expressive hands, face, and body, and his intimate focus on her body gave these photographs an often erotic charge.

throughout her life, despite the fact that her early relationship with Stieglitz was complicated by her dependence on him for financial support. She also depended on him for artistic support, for as much as she may have disliked the critics’ discussions and the pressure of exhibiting every year, Stieglitz ensured that O’Keeffe’s art was taken seriously. O’Keeffe never claimed to be a feminist, yet her early efforts toward equality were notable. She joined the National Woman’s Party in 1914 at the urging of Anita Pollitzer, who became the national chairperson in 1945. In 1926 O’Keeffe addressed a party convention in Washington and also lobbied Eleanor Roosevelt during the campaign for an equal rights amendment. She believed that no child should be barred from “any activity that they may choose” on account of his or her sex.

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