Carr, O`Keeffe, Kahlo: Places of Their Own [Hardcover]

Ms. Sharyn Rohlfsen Udall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 11, 2000

This original and thought-provoking book compares the art, lives, and achievements of three great artists of the Americas: Emily Carr (1871-1945) of Canada, Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) of the United States, and Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) of Mexico. Each became her country's preeminent woman painter in the twentieth century, and all explored similar issues in their painting. Sharyn Udall shows how each artist searched for an authentic, personal identity and analyzes in detail the issues these women faced in relation to nationality, nature, gender, and the creation of a personal mythology.

Although their work is visually disparate, certain interesting themes connect Carr, O'Keeffe, and Kahlo. Udall draws on rich archives and uses specific works of art to illustrate the differences and similarities among the three. She demonstrates how a profound identification with nature led each artist to a lifelong exploration of its forms and symbolism. Further, each painter felt a special connectedness to the earth and to nature in her region. Udall also looks at the different ways each artist entwined her private -- and in all three cases, deeply spiritual -- self in her artistic identity and the unique ways each established a public identity. By viewing the work of Carr, O'Keeffe, and Kahlo collectively, Udall shows, we illuminate in new ways the art of a continent.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Comparatively sparse visually, Udall's work explores many different facets of Kahlo, Emily Carr, and Georgia O'Keeffe. In the opening essay, independent historian Udall assigns Kahlo the role of the woman artist exploring her heritage and identity through art. This essay sets the tone for the rest of the book. By grouping Kahlo, Carr, and O'Keeffe, Udall is able to show how traditional, native values influenced the work of each artist and how being a woman altered the subject and tone of each piece she created. It is interesting to note the way men are presented in these two books. For example, Diego Rivera, credited with being a supportive husband by the male essayists in Lozano's work, is seen as a selfish, cheating manipulator by Udall, who chooses to delve into the complexity of Rivera and Kahlo's relationship instead of presenting the glossed over, one-sided view found in Lozano's book. Overall, however, both books are strong. Frida Kahlo is a visually breathtaking and exciting read. Places of Their Own offers small, if lovely and useful, reproductions of some paintings, but the rich analysis of the lives of these three artists is what matters here. Jointly, these two works offer the most comprehensive visual and academic study of Kahlo available yet. Recommended for all serious art collections. Rachel Collins, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"[Udall] has wrought miracles in [this] marvellous book…intuitive, probing readings…from deep research and scholarly empathy." -- Sarah Milroy, Toronto Globe and Mail

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; First edition (October 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300079583
• ISBN-13: 978-0300079586
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,231,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( C ) > Carr, Emily

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