Before Alfred Stieglitz. The Early Paintings of Georgia O’Keefe, 1905–1917 (Part II: 1914–1917)

Abstract

This article discusses the early works of Georgia O’Keeffe, famous American abstract painter, and examines various factors which informed her art from the schooling period to her first solo exhibition in 1917. The paper aims to deal with the assumption, widespread in the art history, about the major impact of Stieglitz (the artist’s promoter) on O’Keeffe’s art. The author, studying pictures, the artist’s memories, and the education methods of her teachers, verifies that her art was formed by diverse experiences, gained during the considered years, and not by Alfred Stieglitz only, as many scholars seem to claim. Her artistic style is explained as the outcome of both American and European aesthetic thought, as well as the legacy of various art tendencies like Academic Art, European Art Nouveau, Post-Impressionism and Oriental Art.