One of the themes we have been studying for GCSE Arts, is Natural Forms. We have been inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe's art, and I have chosen to present my reproduction of the Blue Morning Glories as well as my response to her art, with some pictures reflecting colours, patterns, and mastural forms inspired by the nature. Another artist to mention as an inspiration for this theme is Karl Blossfeldt, and the chosen artwork for reproduction is Campanula Medium (Bell flower)b | Karl blossfeldt, Dessin fleur.
This painting is an example of the Precisionism style, for which O’Keeffe was quite popular. Its genre is still life, and it is one of the most popular paintings featuring flowers. The sheer size of the flower that O’Keeffe depicted is enough to catch anyone’s attention, and the way the colours are used makes it even more enchanting
Georgia O'Keeffe was born on November 15, 1887. Her parents, Francis Calyxtus O'Keeffe and Ida (Totto) O'Keeffe were dairy farmers.
O'Keeffe was the second of seven children. By age 10, she had decided to become an artist with her sisters, Ida and Anita.
O'Keeffe studied and ranked at the top of her class at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1905 to 1906, studying with John Vanderpoel.
In 1907, she attended the Art Students League in New York City, where she studied under William Merritt Chase, Kenyon Cox and F. Luis Mora.
In 1908, she won the League's William Merritt Chase still-life prize for her oil painting Dead Rabbit with Copper Pot. Her prize was a scholarship to attend the League's outdoor summer school in Lake George, New York.
In 1908, O'Keeffe found out that she would not be able to finance her studies. She took a job in Chicago as a commercial artist and worked there until 1910.
Her studies at the University of Virginia, based upon Dow's principles, were pivotal in O'Keeffe's development as an artist. Through her exploration and growth as an artist, she helped to establish the American modernism movement.
The critics, Anna Chave and Anne Wagner have argued convincingly that O'Keeffe altered her art in the 1920s, turning to the flowers so that she could explore the female body and its experiences. O'Keeffe herself said that she was 'trying to do a painting that is all of a woman'.
I have looked at the shapes of the negative space. Once the basic drawing was done, I have started adding in very clear washes of paint, leaving the lighter sections blank and adding layers of colours for the more dark effects. After completing the coats of colour I have used gouache paint in order to bring back any missed highlights and show the main contrasts.
I have found this drawing interesting to observe, since the shades of blue are similar yet so different. Keeping in mind that the media of my painting is mainly watercolour, which is different than the original artwork, controlling the output of the work is difficult. Even in this situation, I consider my artwork to reflect accuracy on the original piece.
Pictures inspired by her art
Campanula medium (Bell flower)b. 1st edition photogravure. 26 x 19 cm. Aug 21, 2015 . Our new online exhibition features a wide selection of spectacular first edition photogravures by Karl Blossfeldt who practised as a photographer, sculptor and a design teacher in the 1920’s.
Karl Blossfeldt ( June 13, 1865 – December 9, 1932) was a German photographer, sculptor, teacher, and artist who worked in Berlin, Germany. He is best known for his close-up photographs of plants and living things, published in 1929 as Urformen der Kunst. He was inspired, as was his father, by nature and the ways in which plants grow. He believed that "the plant must be valued as a totally artistic and architectural structure.
My reproduction is made in ink, applied in very light layers. I've paid attention to the length and curves of the organic form. After being satisfied with the range of tones in my recreation, I've added pure black ink to any accentuated sections of the flower. such as the stem and the left side of the flower.
Painting in ink is similar with painting in watercolor, but using one colour only. The medium responds similarly and the effect is almost identical.
While painting this reproduction, I felt slightly challenged of the different tones of the flower but I overcome this challenge by layering the ink in very think coats for the minimalistic black and white effect.
Pictures inspired by his work. Click on the picture for full view.
