Painting with O'Keeffe [Hardcover]

John D. Poling (Author), Christopher Merrill (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1999

When a world-famous artist begins to lose her eyesight and puts down her brushes, it is a tragedy. When she starts to paint again, it must surely be a miracle. “What are those colors?” I asked, shouting over the wind. O’Keeffe raised her eyes skyward, resting both hands on the cane. She looked slowly all around, squinting against the flying sand, her white dress flapping loudly. Then she lowered her eyes toward me. “You tell me what they are,” she said. At first I thought she was jesting. I knew she could see them, or I thought she could. But she waited patiently, looking at me. I turned back to the sky. “They’re like pastels.” I stopped, focusing on one cloud near to us. “This cloud is like a grainy orange and red—no, it’s more like a peach, with yellows in there too.” I gestured widely. It seemed as if one color was superimposed on traces of another. The air was full of fragrances enhanced by a hint of moisture and sharpened by the wind as it passed quickly over the surface of sage and stone, sand and piñon. Somehow, all that was part of what I saw. “But there are reds, too.” I struggled to think of how to describe the colors. “There is a gray or white behind the reds; and some orange.” O’Keeffe’s head declined slightly as she listened, her lips creased in a faint smile. In late summer 1975, John Poling left college to wander the beauty of northern New Mexico and wound up in Abiquiu doing odd jobs for Georgia O’Keeffe. Never did he imagine that one day O’Keeffe’s request for help in preparing a canvas would lead to a two-year collaboration that would prove the most rewarding yet most painful of his life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A former handyman to Georgia O'Keeffe, Poling cannot get the legendary artist out of his system, as this self-serving memoir attests. In 1976, while painting the trim of O'Keeffe's house in New Mexico, Poling spent five days applying paint to one of her canvases in colors, to areas and in techniquesAincluding the type of brushstroke and thickness of paintAof her choosing. Later that fall, the 89-year-old O'Keeffe, who had lost her central vision to macular degeneration, asked him to do the same for two more works. As a result of this brief association (O'Keeffe later said that he functioned as a palette knife), Poling has repeatedly and publicly claimed that he and O'Keeffe collaborated on these works, insisting that "a footnote or paragraph clarifying a collaboration was a necessary piece of information" for dealers, private owners and the viewing public. This memoir is comprised largely of incidents that Poling first described to a newspaper reporter in 1980. The final chapterAin which Poling awkwardly asks, "What is art of?"Apays tribute to O'Keeffe by closely examining a few of her canvases. But Poling adds nothing to the portrait biographers have drawn of the vigorous and determined woman he was fortunate to meet and very little to what is known of O'Keeffe's working habits. One hopes that, with this book behind him, Poling, who is now a professor, may finally let his unconvincing case rest. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A small, disturbing snapshot of a book about Georgia O'Keeffe, written by a man who worked as her studio assistant for two summers and helped her complete several paintings. Poling (who now teaches philosophy and theology at St. Olafs College) first met the elderly O'Keeffe when her driver stopped to give him a lift to the grocery store in Abiquiu, N.M. Months later, O'Keeffe's personal secretary hired him to house-sit for her and repaint her window trim. Both the chance meeting and the job at O'Keeffe's compound seemed wildly fortuitous: that summer of 1976, Poling gradually stopped painting trim on the artist's house and began painting her canvases. The two of them spent some months working together: O'Keeffe directing and instructing, Poling immersing himself in her art. The association, however, was to be short-lived, since O'Keeffe's assistant, Juan Hamilton, became extremely jealous of their association. Poling left, but he could not walk away; nor, it seems, could he forgive the fact that O'Keeffe chose not to divulge the extent of their collaboration. ``I felt with despair that my attempts to have the facts acknowledged had never had a chance,'' he writes. For her part, O'Keeffe staunchly defended her right to ignore him: ``Mr. Poling was the equivalent of a palette knife,'' she told a reporter at the time. ``He was nothing but a tool.'' Her proud dismissal so hurt Poling he became somewhat obsessed with documenting and proving his participation in her work. This book could itself be seen as a final, wistful effort to assert his involvement. And as much as it may be appropriate to clarify their work collaboration, Poling's vehemenceafter all these yearsverges on the bizarre. O'Keeffe certainly could be cruel, but it would take much more objectivity and detachment than Poling musters here to understand why the artist spurned him so thoroughly. Although Poling provides an unusually intimate glimpse of O'Keeffe at work, his book is less about her than it is about him and how betrayed he felt when she refused to acknowledge his assistance. (11 b&w photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 153 pages
• Publisher: Texas Tech University Press; First Edition edition (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089672381X
• ISBN-13: 978-0896723818
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A first hand look at O'Keeffe's life in her Abiquiu Studio, November 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Painting with O'Keeffe (Hardcover)

There is no end to books about O'Keeffe and to the interest in her life and work. This book, howver, has an unusual story to tell. O'Keeffe who had stopped painting in 1971 because of loss of most of her vision never lost her desire to paint. In 1975 she decided to do something about it by creating new paintings.In order to do this she had to use someone else to paint her ideas on the canvass but under her direction. John Poling was a young man doing odd jobs for O'Keeffe when he was called upon to be a substitute artist. The ethical questions that arose when O'Keeffe passed those works off as her own original work caused a furor when a local newspaper published the story. Nearly 25 years later,Poling tells his side of the story. Whatever readers may decide about the ethics,this book gives a first hand look at O'Keeffe's daily life in her later years. It also offers additional insight into the role of Juan Hamilton in her life. The original newspaper articles that broke the story in 1980 are reproduced in two appendices. There is a bibliography and an index. There a photographs of O'Keeffe and related subject matter. There are no photos of the paintings because Poling was denied permission to use them.Now a professor at St. Olaf College, Poling still regards O'Keeffe as a mentor and an importnt influence in his life.

Reviewed in ENCHANTMENT,Book Chat with Marcia, Mutt, Oct. 1999 (120,000 circulation)

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Painting With O'Keeffe--A Must Read For Her Fans, August 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Painting with O'Keeffe (Hardcover)

"Artists are notorously circumspect about the origins of their work. It is difficult enough to describe to oneself the mysterious process by which a poem or painting comes into existence, let alone to an apprentice or public audience. How fortunate we are, then, to have John Poling's account of painting with Georgia O'Keeffe. Here is a portrait of an aging artist discovering ways to create even after she had lost her sight. Painting, she said, is "like the thread that runs through ..all other things that make one's life." And for one magical season John Poling helped her to find that thread again".

Christopher Merrill, College of the Holy Cross; Book Review Editor, EL PALACIO.

I've not read everything about O'Keeffe but Poling's easy read, page-turning narrative certainly gives perspective to this remarkable lady. His very personal association, that of "servant", student, errand boy, you name it, gives a warmth to her that has not always been revealed. Clearly, the author's good sense of humor, his openness with her and the quick retorts to her candid, frank observations cannot help but bring smiles to readers. The chronology here is a very nice contribution to the history of Georgia O'Keeffe. Douglas C. Billian, Publisher, ART & ANTIQUES

A fascinating story of the intertwining of art and life, of a remakable woman, of his painting with her for a season and finding his own life transformed...he offers helpful insights into O'Keeffe's aesthetic world and beautifully evokes the personal inspiration he found in O'Keeffe's life and work.

John J. Compton Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, Vanderbilt University.

Obviously, one of my first priorities, when I went to interview John Poling, was to try and determine whether he was seeking some kind of personal gain by going public with his story. We spent, I would guess, at least 10 or 12 hours, in a series of meetings. I backtracked and criss-crossed over the facts again and again, and he remained absolutely consistent, down to the smallest detail. By the end, I believed that his motive was one of ethics, and nothing more.

I found it quite a beautiful story--the relationship between this young maintenance man and the aging artist. I enjoyed the writing.

Hope Aldrich, Staff writer and later Publisher of the SANTA FE REPORTER.

It's hard to imagine anyone who admires Georgia O'Keeffe's art(and who doesn't)not being fascinated by these recollections of the philosopher/handyman who helped paint both her house and her canvases. John Poling reveals insights into the character of the artist herself and of Juan Hamilton, her controversial agent/companion.

Tony Hillerman

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Review from an O'Keeffe fan and a Friend of the author, January 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Painting with O'Keeffe (Hardcover)

I found this book a fascinating confluence of ideas and life themes that allow O'Keeffe fans insights into her personal life and her approach towards artistic expression -- as a well as the real-life story of a young man's coming of age in search of his place in this universe.

It is filled with observations and insights that allow the reader to consider what it would be like to work with one of Americas' greatest artists - and to appreciate the solitary and disciplined life-style that she led -- especially in her final years.

I also found this story to be very sad yet poignant. O'Keeffe was obviously manipulated by her personal affairs manager, Juan Hamilton, and apparently fearful of his reaction to the close relationship that blossomed between Mr. Poling and Ms. O'Keeffe one summer while he was away in New York City.

I have also know the author as a personal friend since childhood and find this book to be true to his nature as an individual - insightful and honest. I would recommend it highly!