Long before Georgia O’Keeffe started painting flowers or the great landscapes of the Southwest, she explored total abstraction and monochrome palate beginning in 1912. She delved deep into the world of Zen Buddhist inspired art making to get to the very essence of thing, not an imitation, but the TRUTH...the Zen way of seeing the world...

1. Presenting…
The new book on
Georgia O’Keeffe

2. The Concept:
Long before Georgia O’Keeffe started
painting flowers or the great
landscapes of the Southwest, she
explored total abstraction and
monochrome palate beginning in
1912. She delved deep into the world
of Zen Buddhist inspired art making to
get to the very essence of thing, not an
imitation, but the TRUTH...the Zen way
of seeing the world...

3. Georgia O’Keeffe
July 19, 1915
Georgia O'Keeffe during her time
at the University of Virginia
Photographer: Rufus W.
Holsinger (1866–1930)

5. Georgia O’Keeffe: A Portrait –Hands and Watercolor by
Alfred Stieglitz 1917
The book will explore her formative years…

6. Dead Rabbit and Copper Pot
Georgia O’Keeffe, 1908
While studying at the Art Students League in New York, she won
the League's William Merritt Chase still-life prize for her oil
painting. Despite the award, the traditional art education route
left her searching for more inspiration…

7. The influence of Japanese Zen Buddhism began
to permeate the Modern art movement in
France beginning in the 1860’s.
These artists began to paint The Buddha and
explore new inspiration for their art:
~ Odilon Redon
~ Paul Gauguin
~ Vincent Van Gogh

8. The Buddha
Odilon Redon, 1902

9. The Buddha
Paul Gauguin, 1898

10. Young Buddha
Odilon Redon, 1902

11. The Buddha and Nirvanna
Odilon Redon 1902-1904

12. Masters of Japanese woodblock printing heavily
influenced the modern artists working in Paris
Hokusai painting the
Great Daruma in 1817
Cranes from Quick Lessons in
Simplified Drawing

13. Vincent Van Gogh (R) copying Katsushika Hokusai (L)
Vincent Van Gogh often copied the Japanese
Master, Katsushika Hokusai

14. Portrait of Père Tanguy,
Vincent van Gogh, 1887
(note the Japanese
paintings in background)

15. (2nd) Portrait of Père Tanguy,
by Vincent van Gogh, 1887
(note the Japanese paintings
in background)

16. The Great Wave off Kanagawa, an ukiyo-e woodblock print by
Japanese artist, Katsushika Hokusai, c. 1830 -1833

17. Landscape by Zen
Buddhist priest painter,
Sesshu Toyo
c. 1500

18. Yoshitsune Falls, from the
series Famous Waterfalls in
Various Provinces
Katsushika Hokusai, 1833

19. While studying at the Art Students League in NYC, Georgia attended
the Auguste Rodin show of drawings in 1908 and meets Stieglitz
briefly. She will meet him again in 1916…
Nude by Auguste Rodin,
c.1900 from Rodin
Exhibition gallery 291, c.
1908

20. Stieglitz opened the first gallery in the U.S. to exhibit modern art.
Gallery 291 was an apartment located at 291 5th Avenue. Photo c. 1908

21. Nude by Auguste Rodin, from Rodin Exhibition at 291

22. Photos of young Georgia
O’Keeffe by photographer
(later husband)
Alfred Stieglitz

23. Georgia O'Keeffe by
Alfred Stieglitz,1918

24. In 1914 she began her
studies with Arthur
Westley Dow and she
begins to experiment with
a monochrome palate
No. 13 Special, 1916/1917
Charcoal on paper

25. She later incorporate
the color blue into her
works.
Kandinsky wrote a
book in 1912,
Concerning the
Spiritual in Art, in
which he claims blue is
the color of spirituality

26. Blue No. 2 by O’Keeffe, 1916

27. Blue No. 1
Georgia O’Keeffe, 1916

28. Blue Lines, 1916
Georgia O'Keeffe

29. Georgia O’Keeffe meets Alfred
Stieglitz again…
Stieglitz is “the father of
modern photography”, founder
of gallery 291, founder of
Camera Work photographic
journal, and her future
husband.
Self-portrait, 1887

32. The turning point:
In 1914 Georgia studies
with her mentor, Arthur
Westley Dow at
Teachers College at
Columbia University.

33. Arthur Dow, artist and arts
educator

34. Arthur Westley Dow by A. Coburn 1903

35. Crater Lake, oil on canvas, 1919 Arthur W. Dow

36. Arthur W. Dow by A. Coburn 1903

38. Arthur Dow’s associate and
mentor:
Ernest F. Fenollosa
He became the expert on
Japanese art working between
Japan and Boston University

39. Arthur W. Dow published his
revolutionary book
Composition, 1899
It explored Zen Buddhist
inspired Japanese art making.

40. Exercise No. 66 on “No-tan” by
Arthur W. Dow for Composition

42. Evening Star , Georgia O’Keeffe 1917
Georgia O’Keeffe moves to Amarillo, TX
and paints the Texas landscape

43. In 1916 her friend Anita Pollitzer sends Alfred Stieglitz her work
without her knowledge. Stieglitz tries to show the works at 291
without her permission. This begins their friendship….

44. Light Coming on the Plains
Georgia O’Keeffe, 1917

46. Stieglitz shows these photos of
O’Keeffe in a very controversial
exhibition in NYC. Stieglitz later
leaves his wife and child and they
get married.

47. Photograph of Georgia O'Keeffe by Alfred
Stieglitz in 1918.

48. Photograph of Georgia
O'Keeffe by Alfred
Stieglitz in 1918.

49. Lessons in harmony,
balance and uncovering
the truth in nature lead
O’Keeffe to see the
world around her in a
new light.
Black Iris
O’Keeffe, 1926

51. Abstraction White
Rose by Georgia
O’Keeffe, 1927

53. Learn more about
Georgia O’Keeffe:
Book Available:
Amazon Kindle
Note: you do Not need a Kindle
device to read it. Download a
Free Kindle Reader for any
computer, tablet or phone.
Enjoy.
www.theartistorychannel.com
Sharon M. Fitzgerald, MA