REVIEW: Georgia O’Keeffe “My New Yorks” at the Art Institute of Chicago

Georgia O’Keeffe American, 1864–1946, New York Street with Moon, 1925. Oil on canvas, mounted to Masonite, 48 × 30 in. (122 x 77 cm). Colección Carmen Thyssen.

REVIEW
Georgia O’Keeffe: My New Yorks
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 S Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60603
June 2–Sep 22, 2024

By Grace Demba

“To create one’s own world takes courage.” I first encountered this quote when visiting the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in New Mexico and her estate at Ghost Ranch, where I was introduced to her work. I’m not often one who is deeply impacted by quotes, but once I read this sentence in 2020, Georgia O'Keeffe's words became the first day of the rest of my life. At the time, something struck me about her work that I could not understand as a budding artist. But I’m not the only one O’Keeffe has inspired.

For someone unfamiliar with Georgia O'Keeffe, My New Yorks is an excellent introduction to her work, as it is where she truly got her start. For those who know her well, My New Yorks offer a deeper dive into her evolution as an artist, unraveling layers of meaning and technique. I approached this exhibition as a fan but was surprised to find out that I had much more to learn about Georgia O'Keeffe than I thought.

Often pigeonholed into her depictions of the female form and her New Mexico landscapes, My New Yorks unveils the lesser-known side of Georgia O'Keeffe. The exhibition traces her journey living in New York City, capturing her initial fascination with its unique forms to her final homages through paintings, drawings, and photography.

Georgia O’Keeffe American, 1864–1946, A Celebration, 1924. Oil on canvas. Overall: 34 7/8 x 18 in. (88.6 x 45.7 cm). Seattle Art Museum, Gift of the Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation. 94.89.

At the beginning, one meets O'Keeffe's early works, in which she is already showing an interest in observation and the natural world. The first piece, titled A Celebration, set the tone, commemorating O'Keeffe as a touchstone of the Art Institute. Her subjects are simple: the sky, clouds, trees, leaves, bodies of water, fruit, and flowers; but early on, she already demonstrates the ability to take these simple things, essentialize their parts, and make them extraordinary. 

Georgia O’Keeffe, 1918, Palladium print, photographed by Alfred Stieglitz. The Art Institute of Chicago, Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949.758.  

In her first painting of New York, New York Street with Moon, O'Keeffe first demonstrates her talent in depicting connections between the natural and built environment. She connects two sources of light, the streetlamp, and the moon, emphasizing the beauty in each form. She became obsessed with this composition, with its emphasis on the verticality of New York, its framing of the eye to a central aspect of the image, and the simplicity of its shapes. 

Following this piece is an artistic abundance of O'Keeffe's obsession with the cityscape, often painted from hotels where she was invited to stay and work. As I walked through the gallery, I watched her fantasize about the city’s narrow streets and stark geometric patterns, capturing the inexplicable, unique vibrance that everyone who visits New York City experiences; but these are reflections as O'Keeffe sees them, and can only be conveyed through feeling rather than seeing. She even develops artistic relationships with certain buildings and streets. In living in the Shelton Hotel, the tallest residential hotel in New York at the time, we see O'Keeffe realize her power as an observer, perhaps more of a force for capturing the sheer scale of cityscape as a viewer looking down from above.

Georgia O’Keeffe American, 1864–1946, East River from the 30th Story of the Shelton Hotel, 1928. Oil on canvas. 12 × 8.5 in. (30.5 x 81.3 cm). New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, Stephen B. Lawrence Fund, 1958.9

She becomes consumed with the view outside her window facing the East River, creating iterations of the same spot from the same viewpoint, her room on the top floor of the Shelton. Yet again, O'Keeffe’s fascinations become idiosyncratic collections. She paints this view at different times of the day, with each painting possessing a unique aura. Her work goes beyond mere observation and enters into the scale of a kind of enchantment with the world around her.

Georgia O’Keeffe American, 1864–1946, Cow’s Skull with Calico Roses, 1931. Oil on canvas. 36 × 24 in. (91.4 × 61 cm) Alfred Stieglitz Collection, gift of Georgia O'Keeffe, 1947.712 © The Art Institute of Chicago

My New Yorks displays O'Keeffe’s early attraction to New Mexico. O'Keeffe’s piece, Cow’s Skull with Calico Roses marks not only a turning point in her life but also perhaps a turning point where iconic art and her personal life transcended fascination, and became something of a frame for attempts to articulate the legacy of the shared American experience. After visiting New Mexico in the summer of 1930, O'Keeffe shipped this cow’s skull to her vacation home at Lake George in Upstate New York. I’d like to think that O'Keeffe understood that in most cultures, a cow’s skull symbolizes death, one that is not always negative. In some ways, it is a kind of new beginning. O'Keeffe’s life, while unique, is a classic tale that still resonates with viewers . She’s an urban dweller who escapes the city to her vacation home, but ultimately longs for a return to nature.

Georgia O’Keeffe American, 1864–1946, Sky above Clouds IV, 1965. Oil on canvas. 96 × 288 in. (243.8 × 731.5 cm) Purchased with funds provided by the Paul and Gabriella Rosenbaum Foundation; gift of Georgia O'Keeffe, 1983.821 © The Art Institute of Chicago

When exiting the Art Institute, I stopped at one of my favorite paintings, a Georgia O'Keeffe masterpiece, Sky above Cloud IV. Made to represent something simple, a landscape view from an airplane window, O'Keeffe demonstrates her power to see the world from above and a heightened perception and an ability to capture the essence of any place she resides, whether it be New York, New Mexico, Lake George, or beyond. My New Yorks celebrates O'Keeffe's genius, forever intertwined with that of the Art Institute, where she studied. To me, this exhibition demonstrates what Georgia O'Keeffe does best: making the everyday extraordinary. She is not only an artist but also the storyteller of her own life, rightfully blossoming into the new American fascination that she is becoming today.

Grace Demba is an artist, summer 2024 Publishing and Editorial Intern of Bridge, and a student at Washington University in St. Louis.

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