Georgia O'Keeffe, Works on Paper [Hardcover]

Georgia O'Keeffe (Author), Barbara Haskell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1985

This ground-breaking volume, the first to consider Georgia O'Keeffe's works on paper, explores the media of watercolour, charcoal, pencil and pastel. O'Keeffe, an artist of immense stature in twentieth-century art, is known primarily as a painter. However, her earliest mature works, which led to her first New York exhibitions and initial acclaim, were works on paper as well, and resumed her intense commitment to drawing and watercolour in the 1960s and 1970s. The works on paper can be viewed in the larger context of O'Keeffe's career as an artist. They move from stylised, flat patterning of the early charcoals to the rhapsodic organic forms and fresh uses of colour in the watercolours to the tighter, more focused compositions of the later pastels, charcoals and pencil drawings. Finally, the works on paper of the 1960s and 1970s are characterised by an extreme simplification and almost decorative flatness. Richly illustrated with 31 full-colour plates and 21 duotones, accompanied by an introduction, critical essay and biographical chronology.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While O'Keeffe's oil canvases of New Mexico deserts creak with sun-bleached skulls and pelvic bones, the watercolors, pastels and charcoals which she did throughout her life present a far more cheerful world. In sensitive arrangements of lines, colorful shapes and spaces, she invented a personal vocabulary. Some of these works on paper were done as she walked the Texas plains to draw and paint directly from nature. Others were produced after she moved to New York to live with Alfred Stieglitz; still others come from her late years in the Southwest, when she created organic, self-contained forms that seem to unfold within their own universe. All of the pictures display spontaneity and a light touch. This volume, which catalogues an exhibition at the Museum of New Mexico, includes some 30 full-page color reproductions and numerous duotones and photos. Along with her early, fumbling color experiments and unsure urban landscapes, there are strong examples of O'Keeffe at her best. A delightful album. October 31
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

Through her [O'Keeffe's] works on paper...she demonstrated an astonishing range and virtuosity that has significantly contributed to her legacy. -- George G. King, Director, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 102 pages
• Publisher: Museum of New Mexico Pr (September 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890131546
• ISBN-13: 978-0890131541
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,480,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars minor works by a major artist, August 22, 2003

By 

Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Georgia O'Keeffe: Works on Paper (Paperback)

Art critic E.M. Benson is quoted in the introduction of this book saying "I never saw an O'Keeffe that reminded me of anything but O'Keeffe", and the pieces selected for this book, though most of them are minor, early works, are an indication of how her talent would develop, with her unique vision and terrific sense of color.
As is stated in Barbara Haskell's text, they "provide valuable insight into the origins of her vocabulary and basic approach to art".

The illustrations include eleven watercolors reproduced in black and white, from 1916-1934, a monotype from 1917, twentyfour color plates of watercolors from 1915-1922, and ten pieces from later years, mostly pastels and drawings, from 1925-1977.
With good quality paper and fine color reproduction in a semi-gloss finish, this is recommended for art students, as it is always interesting to see the promise of early works, and die-hard O'Keefe fans.