O'Keefe Pilgrimage Complete

"Pilgrimage" is both a noun and a verb:

a journey, esp. a long one, made to some sacred place or shrine,

a long search made for exalted or sentimental reasons;

a quest.

When I set out almost a year ago on my "Georgia O'Keefe Pilgrimage" I had few expectations other than attempting to track as much of her art as possible and to learn as much as I could about her life.  Timing and a travel-loving husband made many exhibits accessible and, naturally, I gained much in unexpected ways (subjects for another blog!) After visits to five cities, many exhibits, numerous movies and several books, I am reporting on my final stop on the tour: the New York Botanical Gardens.

At the height of her popularity O'Keefe accepted an offer by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (Dole) to spend 9 weeks at their expense in Hawaii.  The caveat was that they would have two paintings they could use for advertising.  A coup for them except that Ms O'Keefe was her usual stubborn self and refused to stay where they had contracted and also refused to be told what to paint (pineapples, duh!).  Taking a commercial assignment was seen by her husband Steiglitz as demeaning but she saw an opportunity to see a new part of the world.  And see it she did.

Flowers already spoke to her and in this new tropical climate she just could not get enough of all the gorgeous exotic varieties.

The scenery was unlike any other she had ever seen.  Here are four paintings she made of the same waterfall...a common exercise when she was intrigued by the landscape.  All four are now in separate collections but it is easy to see the similarities in them as she explored the subject.

After living with the field hands, traveling the islands and walking miles on the black beaches O'keefe had completed 20 paintings.  She offered the Pineapple Company one of a heliconia and one of a papaya tree.  They were, to put it mildly, furious and both parties to the contract felt miserable.

By the time she got back to New York she had decided to start a pineapple piece working from her memory when one arrived on her doorstep shipped by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company.  She finished her painting and they ended up using both in their advertising.  See below.

Once again Ms O'Keefe's star is shining brightly so the NYBG seized upon the idea of a gallery show of her work done in Hawaii while highlighting the plants in their conservatory which inspired and informed her work.  It was brilliant and a lovely marriage of the environment and her art.  It was another link in my study to understand her work and her motivation.

Even though it took 9 arduous days of trains and steam ships to reach Hawaii, Georgia returned after Stieglitz died.  It opened her world to new possibilities through travel and was the beginning of many exotic excursions she took world wide.  

Now that this pilgrimage has come to a close I hope to dive deep into thinking about what I have gained, not just in knowledge about her but in ways to apply the most intriguing aspects of her work (in my opinion) to my own.  More on this to come I promise.

From an exhibit of her clothing to spending time where she lived, from an NYC exhibit to a piece in Bentonville, AR this has been a compelling search for work done by an extraordinary woman.  While she had an uncanny (and ahead of her time) understanding of "branding" and personal presentation, she never succumbed to letting her own art conform to popular trends.  She exhibited an amazing personal strength in light of the many obstacles she had to work her way around in becoming who she knew she was.  

I'm almost sorry to see my list get all checked off...but not sorry to have made this fascinating journey.

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Cindy