An Object Up Close The subject of the painting in Figure 10–2 is an object of a type you have seen. Did you immediately recognize it as a brightly colored tropical flower? If you did not, the reason may have to do with the way in which the artist represented it. Notice the size of the painting. Why would any artist choose to magnify an image of a flower many hundreds of times? The answer rests with events of the period in which the artist, Georgia O’Keeffe, lived. O’Keeffe was active in the early 1900s. The world was changing fast. Tall buildings were going up in big cities such as New York, where O’Keeffe lived. Convinced that people had begun to overlook nature’s wonders, O’Keeffe painted her subjects larger than life, just like the buildings. An Object from Long Ago The painting in Figure 10–3 focuses on a plant native to the artist’s homeland. In this case, the plant is bamboo. The artist was from China. Look closely at this work. See the care given to each small leaf. The elegant lines call to mind calligraphy (kuh-lig-ruh-fee)—the art of beautiful writing. In fact, the artist was a noted calligrapher in his day. What quality of this work do you think prompted some viewers to call it a portrait of an actual plant?
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) Cultural connection. Georgia O’Keeffe was deeply inspired by nature. Her most famous works are her flower paintings (see Figure 10–2). Born in Wisconsin in 1887, O’Keeffe knew from an early age that she wanted to be a painter. Following her dream, she studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League of New York. O’Keeffe spent a great deal of time in New Mexico and moved there permanently after the death of her husband, artist Alfred Stieglitz. In New Mexico, she created many paintings of natural forms in and around the desert, including animal bones, rocks, shells, and mountains. Compare the use of color and value in O’Keeffe’s artwork, Red Cannas, with Figure 10–3. To learn more about O’Keeffe and her work, click on Artist Profiles at art.glencoe.com.
Check Your Understanding 1. Define the term perceive. 2. Why did Georgia O’Keeffe paint flowers on such a large scale?
Figure 10–3 This ink painting of an actual bamboo plant shows many of its characteristics. How has the artist made some leaves look near and others look farther away? Lik’an. Ink-Bamboo. (Detail.) 1308. Handscroll, ink on paper. 37.5 236.2 cm (14 3⁄4 7 9 ). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Purchase: Nelson Trust.
Lesson 1 Objects in Nature
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