This time, the subject matter in the paintings that I am going to share with you
does not seem like it would be the slightest bit sexual. Check it out, flowers.
 |
| "Calla Lily Turned Away", 1923 |
This piece was painted by Georgia O'Keeffe. O'Keeffe is considered the "Mother of American Modernism". She was born in 1887 in Wisconsin, and was publicly recognized as an artist in 1916 by the New York art community, and continued to sustain popularity until she passed away in 1986. She liked to paint landscapes (which very often specifically included skulls, she was fascinated by skulls) and close ups of flowers. She liked to play around with shape, color, and lighting.
O'Keeffe's works are especially appealing in an abstract kind of way. In fact, many believe that her flowers are extremely sexual. O'Keeffe was known to experiment with patterns, sizes, and detail. And so, she purposely would make some parts of a subject larger or smaller. It is claimed that she changed up the sizes of certain parts of her flowers in order to portray female sexuality. Some claim that her flowers are erotic. This painting, specifically, is claimed to be sexual/erotic.
 |
| "White and Blue Flower Shapes", 1919 |
Do we see the possible resemblance? People commonly look at this piece and see female genitalia. Anyhow, in response to critics who believed that her flowers were abstract expressions of her sexuality (FYI, some critics went as far to claim she was a lesbian), O’Keeffe said, "Well – I made you take time to look at what I saw and when you took time to really notice my flowers you hung all your own associations with flowers on my flower and you write about my flower as if I think and see what you think and see of the flower – and I don’t.” (In Ernest W. Watson, “Georgia O’Keeffe,” American Artist [June 1943]:10.)
 |
| "Red Canna" |
 |
| "Flower of Life II" |
I think it's fair to say that her flowers are very sensual. But what do you guys think? Do you find these pieces as sexual, or not sexual?
If you'd like to see more of or learn more about her work, you can go
here.
-Josephine Hicks
I can definitely see how some would consider some of her works of art as sexual, and provocative, but I don't understand how someone can call her a lesbian simply because some of her paintings of flowers resemble female genitalia. That assumption is preposterous, and seems like a shot at her because someone felt uncomfortable looking at her artwork. Her artwork is interesting, and very pretty to look at in my honest opinion, however, I never would have thought "female genitalia" had it not been pointed out.
ReplyDeleteAnthony
I can see how people would come to that conclusion, some of those paintings seem a bit intimate, but the thing about art is that it's very subjective, it's something different to everyone who looks at it. For example, the only painting you posted that appeared sexual in my eyes was the big one you posted in the middle, the rest just look flowery to me, and I might have only seen it as such because I saw it in an environment where sex is a prevalent topic. Other people might disagree with me, but that's just the way that I viewed it. As a side note, one time in band in high school we played a song that was based off of Georgia O'Keeffe's painting, Blue and Green Music. I just thought it was cool that you posted about her work.
ReplyDelete-Casey Coulter
When someone mentions Georgia O' Keeffe, I always think of her as the woman who paints pictures of flowers that look like vaginas. In this way, I am pretty biased about my view of these pictures. I agree with Casey in that only the big painting in the middle really looks like genitalia. However, I do agree that there is a mood of sensuality that surrounds all of them. I don't know what it is, or if it is just that I am biased in my interpretations, but there is a kind of feminine power surrounding her paintings, which I think is why her paintings got her famous- why I think she is so appealing. Art is subjective but, one thing is for sure, anyone can draw flowers, but no one can draw flowers the way that Georgia O'Keeffe does.
ReplyDelete- Sarah Reasoner