Image and Imagination: Georgia O'keeffe by John Loengard [Paperback]

John Loengard (Photographer), Georgia O'Keeffe (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2007

On the occasion of Georgia O'Keeffe's 80th birthday in 1966, Life magazine dispatched photographer John Loengard to her home in New Mexico to document a day in the life of the pioneering American artist. Loengard's elegant black and white images capture the grand, solitary woman in the desert, and candid shots record her daily routine at Ghost Ranch. Juxtaposed here with selected O'Keeffe paintings, these photographs reveal how the austere poetry of the landscape corresponded to the artist's own painterly world. This unique marriage of paintings and photographs, presented in a stunningcollectible volume, also includes a touching introduction by Loengard describing his first encounter with O'Keeffe and contemplative writings by the artist herself on her work and inspirations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Georgia O'Keeffe may be the most photographed artist in history, given the artistic ardor of her photographer husband, Alfred Stieglitz. Beautiful at every age and serene in the camera's gaze, O'Keeffe, nearing 80, was gracefully collaborative when photographer John Loengard, on assignment for Life magazine, visited her home in Abiquiu, New Mexico, and her studio at Ghost Ranch in 1966 and 1967, her abode for 20 years. Loengard photographed the painter reading, tending her garden, and walking with her beloved chow dogs. Photographs of the interiors of her home and studio, and still lifes of her stones, books, and bones, capture the elegant simplicity of O'Keeffe's aesthetics. Loengard's tonally rich and dramatically composed black-and-white photographs are paired with O'Keeffe's exquisite paintings, amplifying the resonance of each as the inspirations for O'Keeffe's spirited work are perceptively illuminated. O'Keeffe lived another 20 years in her desert paradise, and now, 20 years after her death, this intimate portfolio rekindles appreciation for her art and her contemplative life. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811861325
• ISBN-13: 978-0811861328
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,217,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Photos better than the paintings?, June 30, 2011

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This review is from: Georgia O'Keeffe/John Loengard: Paintings And Photographs (Hardcover)

This is an interesting book about the artist. It's divided about half and half between her paintings and photos by a Life magazine photographer. The photos, black and white, are of her and her surroundings on her New Mexico ranch and offer some insight about her. A few of the photographs are excellent.

I was somewhat dissappointed with the selection of her paintings in the book, not that they were bad, but that most of them were from her early work; the most recent was 1972 and she lived about another fifteen years. I would have liked to have seen more of her later work since I consider it much better.