Terra Teacher Lab 2007-08

The Changing American Landscapeand Georgia O’Keeffe

“To create one’s world in any of the arts takes courage.”

Georgia O’Keeffe

Bob Finn•Wildwood World IB Magnet School•Grade 8•Language Arts/ Humanities

We started with 3 representative pieces from

Georgia O’Keeffe’s vast body of work.

1 was chosen because it easily aesthetically linked to 19th century American landscape painting

2 were chosen because they are in the Art Institute of Chicago collection

Please note: What we are doing with O’Keeffe has its roots in our lessons last semester when we studied 19th century American landscape painting through the lenses of both romanticism and realism

Georgia O’Keeffe•Lake George, Autumn•1927•oil on canvas•Milwaukee Art Museum

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Georgia O’Keeffe•Red Hills with Flowers•1929•oil on canvas•Chicago Art Institute

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Georgia O’Keeffe•Black Cross,New Mexico•1927•oil on canvas•Chicago Art Institute

The Changing American Landscape

Chama Again, Blue River• 1937• Oil on canvas• Museum of Fine Arts

O’Keeffe was an aesthetic descendant of 19th century Hudson River School. Nature inspired her and she expressed ecstatic feelings of nature in her minimalist style through – o Vibrant colors– o Organic forms– o Uninhabited, dramatic vistasO’Keeffe’s landscapes were representational and

delicate. She eliminated the superfluous. During her marriage to renowned photographer Alfred Stieglitz, O’Keeffe spent much time in the natural areas around Lake George in New York state’s Adirondacks as well as in New York City. But ultimately she could not resist the stark beauty, infinite space, and natural elements of New Mexico, which she called the “faraway.”

"Nothing is less real than realism ... It is only by selection, by elimination, by emphasis that we get at the real meaning of things.”

Georgia O’Keeffe

Modernism • In our study of modernism in early

20th century literature, we learned modernist authors sought to capture the essence of modern life in both the form and the content of their work. Themes were implied, not directly stated, forcing the observer to draw independent conclusions. To these authors, their fragmentary works reflected the fragmentation of the modern world.

• O’Keeffe: “…I often painted fragments of things because it seems to make my statement as well as or better than the whole could…I had to create an equivalent for what I felt about what I was looking at…not copy it.”

It was Arthur Dow who affected my start, who helped me to find something of my own….I decided to start anew, to strip away what I had been taught.” Georgia O’Keeffe O’Keeffe was influenced

by the ideas of Arthur Dow. Dow’s abstract methodology was to use geometric shapes to fill space in a beautiful way. Profoundly influenced by classical Japanese painting, Dow believed an artist’s subject matter was best realized through harmonious arrangements of line, color, and Notan- the Japanese system of lights/darks

A major figure in American art since the 1920’s, O’Keeffe was chiefly known for artwork in which she synthesized abstraction and representation in paintings of flowers, rocks, shells, animal bones and landscapes. Her paintings present crisply contoured forms that are replete with subtle tonal transitions of varying colors. She often transformed her subject matter into powerful abstract images.

Red Canna1923Water color on paperUniversity of Arizona Museum of Art

Imagism provides a link…

Yellow Hickory Leaves with Daisy• 1928• Oil on Canvas• Chicago Art Institute

“I simply paint what I see.” Georgia O’Keeffe

Imagist poets called for a return to what were seen as more classical values, such as directness of presentation and economy of language. These poets displayed a great willingness to experiment with non-traditional verse forms. They focused on the "thing" as "thing" in an attempt at isolating a single image to reveal its essence. Imagist Ezra Pound believed that Imagism isolated objects through what he called “luminous details.”Pound was profoundly influenced by Japanese poetry which strove for vivid conciseness while linking emotions or ideas to natural objects. Although restrictive in form, the gem-like brilliance of Japanese poetry was exceedingly attractive to Pound.When I read these words describing the influence of Japanese poetry on the American poets under study I was struck by the ideas of “non-traditional,” “revealing essence,” “luminous details,” “vivid conciseness” and “gem-like brilliance.” These terms seemed so relevant to Georgia O’Keeffe’s body of work that logically, the next step was to utilize her amazing artwork to inspire my students to write poems in the Japanese forms of haiku and tanka.

What I wanted students to learn:

abstract……composition…...impressionism…...framing elements……minimalismI wanted students to meaningfully talk the talk… organic forms……realism……reductivism……representational art

I wanted them to understand how significant schools of thought (the isms) affect history, literature and the arts. They need to see these connections.

I wanted my students to apply their understanding of the vivid conciseness and unique style of Georgia O’Keeffe’s art in order to create their own original

1) tanka and haiku poetry 2) artwork

#1 Talking the talk: learning the vocabulary

#2 Study Modernist and Imagist poets in literature class

#3 Introduce Japanese haiku and tanka poetic forms to class and clarify their influence on American poetry

…students create/illustrate original haiku utilizing themes from nature

#4 Open Room 104’s O’Keeffe ‘gallery’ “read” O’Keefe paintings w/in gallery students apply taught vocabulary correctly

#5 Students select their personal O’Keeffe work and apply their ‘reading’ skills to create an original tanka poem

#6 Publish poems

#7 Create original artwork in a choice of media

A few major learning activities

Student Work

Black CrossBlack, bold, discontent,

Graceful mountainous textureBreathtaking darkness

Intriguing, illusional,Haunting, different

Allan Ginden

Radiator Building

Skyscraper hangingSublime building in night skies

Glimmering, white peaksWindows shining with bright

lightDark night sky glowers

Devin Lathan

White Pansy

Dainty white pansyPetals opening, bloomingBright yellow centerBaby violets surroundBeautiful contour

Andriana Mitrakos

Red Hills with FlowersBright, flames of crimson Color Curving petals seem

Smooth against distantRoughly reddish mountains frame

Near beauty, afar Erick Marquez

Lake George, Early MorningGreens. blues, yellows…SpringVibrant, verdant, bold nature

Glistening blue lakeDelicate whites, soft yellows

Refreshing spring scene DeeDee Harvey

What my students learned:

•They are beginning to incorporate”the talk” appropriately into relevant classroom activities and discussions.

•They have learned about the characteristics of romanticism, realism, naturalism, imagism, and modernism in American art, literature and history and apply this knowledge to their analysis and interpretation of both art and literature.

•They have learned to make the connections between art and the other curricula.

•Japanese forms of poetry, such as haiku and tanka, are now ‘tools in their toolboxes.’

•Students have learned to respond to American art through their own creative efforts.

What I learned:

I learned that Georgia O’Keeffe’s body of work was far more expansive than paintings of big flowers and bones in the desert.

I learned that I appreciated almost all the various stages of O’Keeffe’s art…Lake George…New York City…New Mexico…the flowers

Through reading several biographies and various articles about O’Keeffe, I learned why she painted the way she did.

I learned that using appropriate American art in conjunction with our study of American history and literature memorably enlivens the curriculum for all concerned.

I learned that the isms are of great importance in literature and can provide fabulous segues into history and the arts as well.

Stressing the necessary vocabulary for these lessons improved by vocabulary too.

I reaffirmed my belief that high expectations for students prod them to achieve at a more advanced level.

BibliographyBooks:Bellavance-Johnson, Marsha, Full Bloom: The Art and Life of Georgia O’KeeffeDrohojowska-Philp, Hunters, Full Bloom: The Art and Life of Georgia O’KeeffeLisle, Laurie, Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O’KeeffeLynes, Barbara Buhler, Georgia O’Keeffe and New Mexico: A Sense of PlaceMessington, Lisa Marie, Georgia O’Keeffe, World of ArtRobinson, Roxana, Georgia O’Keeffe” A LifeDVD:Great Women Artists: Georgia O’KeeffeWeb Resources:• Artcyclopedia• http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/okeeffe_georgia.html• Art History Archive• http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/modern/Georgia- OKeeffe.html• Artist.org• http://www.artst.org/okeeffe/bio/• Georgia O’Keefe, a Bibliography• http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~sparks/gokbib.html• Georgia O’Keeffe, Biography• http://www.gbcnv.edu/~techdesk/TheresaPacini/biography.html• Georgia O’Keeffe Museum• http://www.okeeffemuseum.org/background/index.html• Thinkquest• http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215473/o'keeffe.htm• Timeline of Art History• http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/hd/geok/hd_geok.htm• The Young Artist/ O’Keeffe and Stieglitz/ The Faraway• http://www.ellensplace.net/okeeffe1.html• Wikipedia• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_O'Keeffe