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One Hundred Flowers
This concise edition captures the ageless and absorbing quality of Georgia O'Keefe's highly distinctive paintings of flowers, each of which draws the viewer into the most minute of details and, in turn, into another world.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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About the author
Georgia O'Keeffe
116 books127 followersGeorgia Totto O'Keeffe was an American artist. She is associated with the American Southwest, where she found artistic inspiration, and particularly New Mexico, where she settled late in life. O'Keeffe has been a major figure in American art since the 1920s. She is chiefly known for paintings 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 18, 2021
I've loved Georgia O'Keeffe's flowers for some time. I ran across this incredible book in a Half Price Bookstore in St. Louis recently and snatched it up - 8 dollars for a 100 dollar book. It does justice to her monumental flower paintings (which were often 2 1/2 by 3 feet, up to 6 by 7 feet) as a large scale volume with a 16 x 13 3/8 inch format. My brother-in-law, visiting today, said "The only problem with this book is that it won't fit on a bookshelf !" Nonsense - I'll slide it in flat.
O'Keeffe said, " ... nobody sees flowers really ... to see takes time." If you take your time with this book, you'll see flowers as she saw them, which is, as Woodrow Call says at the end of Lonesome Dove, "A hell of a vision."
In Red Poppy, 1927, the top third of the canvas could be the sharp arete of a mountain. Other paintings of flowers that take on the morphology of a western landscape include Petunia, 1925, and Abstraction - White Rose No. 2, 1927.
Some of her flower paintings, as many viewers and critics quickly pointed out upon their unveiling, are obvious allusions to female genitalia, like Black Iris, 1926.
Overall, I seem to prefer her works that stay within a limited color palette, including 2 Calla Lilies on Pink, 1928, Yellow Sweet Peas, 1925, Oriental Poppies, 1928, and Yellow Hickory with Daisy, 1928, dominated by overlapping petals of rich autumn gold.
Since I felt fairly familiar with quite a few of these paintings, I was surprised to find some, like Zinnias, 1920, in which the paint was applied very thinly so that the texture of the canvas is prominent. This technique gives it something of a hazy and ethereal feel. Another surprise to me was noticing that some of her early flowers clearly owe a debt to Japanese art.
Purple Petunias, 1925, blows me away. The painting is a riotous but completely harmonious blending of pink, blue and purple, with two small spots of green. The work is extremely abstract. Gorgeous. Quite a few of her flower paintings are abstractions. Poppy, 1927, finds me looking at a black teddy bear on a giant red pillow. White Rose with Larkspur No. 2, 1927 is an image of heaven, complete with puffy clouds and floating seraphim !
Sunflower, New Mexico, II, 1935 is unusual. She painted the flower from a low perspective, so that it towers over the viewer, but the image is strangely flat. In the glorious blue sky behind the sunflower, O'Keeffe created a whorl effect that reminds me of Van Gogh's Starry Night.
This collection includes Cow Skull with Calico Roses, 1931, a reflection on the circle of life and death. I must say I prefer her starker images of cow skulls alone.
In the afterward, there is a nice concise discussion of the place her flowers take in her overall body of work.
O'Keeffe said, " ... nobody sees flowers really ... to see takes time." If you take your time with this book, you'll see flowers as she saw them, which is, as Woodrow Call says at the end of Lonesome Dove, "A hell of a vision."
In Red Poppy, 1927, the top third of the canvas could be the sharp arete of a mountain. Other paintings of flowers that take on the morphology of a western landscape include Petunia, 1925, and Abstraction - White Rose No. 2, 1927.
Some of her flower paintings, as many viewers and critics quickly pointed out upon their unveiling, are obvious allusions to female genitalia, like Black Iris, 1926.
Overall, I seem to prefer her works that stay within a limited color palette, including 2 Calla Lilies on Pink, 1928, Yellow Sweet Peas, 1925, Oriental Poppies, 1928, and Yellow Hickory with Daisy, 1928, dominated by overlapping petals of rich autumn gold.
Since I felt fairly familiar with quite a few of these paintings, I was surprised to find some, like Zinnias, 1920, in which the paint was applied very thinly so that the texture of the canvas is prominent. This technique gives it something of a hazy and ethereal feel. Another surprise to me was noticing that some of her early flowers clearly owe a debt to Japanese art.
Purple Petunias, 1925, blows me away. The painting is a riotous but completely harmonious blending of pink, blue and purple, with two small spots of green. The work is extremely abstract. Gorgeous. Quite a few of her flower paintings are abstractions. Poppy, 1927, finds me looking at a black teddy bear on a giant red pillow. White Rose with Larkspur No. 2, 1927 is an image of heaven, complete with puffy clouds and floating seraphim !
Sunflower, New Mexico, II, 1935 is unusual. She painted the flower from a low perspective, so that it towers over the viewer, but the image is strangely flat. In the glorious blue sky behind the sunflower, O'Keeffe created a whorl effect that reminds me of Van Gogh's Starry Night.
This collection includes Cow Skull with Calico Roses, 1931, a reflection on the circle of life and death. I must say I prefer her starker images of cow skulls alone.
In the afterward, there is a nice concise discussion of the place her flowers take in her overall body of work.
June 5, 2013
A visual feast of O 'Keeffe's flower paintings. Nick Calloway 's afterword is well done, and I found the story in his final paragraphs very moving. No one says it better than Georgia
O 'Keeffe herself - "If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it 's your world for the moment."
O 'Keeffe herself - "If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it 's your world for the moment."
September 29, 2008
My favorite coffee table book! Luscious pictures that need no words.
January 9, 2017
This was given to me as a gift around the late 80's. I don't think I went to an exhibition of her work, but my nice painting books were purchased along with seeing exhibitions. And I can't say positively that I didn't see some of these flowers.
I have entered a period where I am using flowers, and other aspects of nature in a way that makes me want to study her work. I love the color and design she uses. Color, design, and working from my imagination are very important to me. The flowers are painted throughout her life.
I used Full Bloom: the Art and Life of Georgia O'Keeffe by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp, to be able to construct a timeline, so I would have general knowledge of what she was doing in her life when she painted the flowers.
I have entered a period where I am using flowers, and other aspects of nature in a way that makes me want to study her work. I love the color and design she uses. Color, design, and working from my imagination are very important to me. The flowers are painted throughout her life.
I used Full Bloom: the Art and Life of Georgia O'Keeffe by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp, to be able to construct a timeline, so I would have general knowledge of what she was doing in her life when she painted the flowers.
January 13, 2009
In the summer when it is hot, somehow looking at this make me feel cooler, and in the winter, it quells my impatience for spring to hurry come again ;) the Jimson Weed and the Jacks and the dark pansies are my favorites.
July 23, 2023
4.5 stars. After returning from a visit to Georgia O’Keefe’s New Mexico, I wanted to immerse myself in more images and information about her life and art. This is a beautiful collection of Georgia O’Keeffe’s many flower paintings. There is limited text - quotes, a brief history of O’Keeffe’s approach to painting flowers, and how the book project came together. Then there are the flowers; literally page after page of her flowers with a small title and year reference. Such beauty!
December 14, 2017
This book is so lovely! I liked O'Keeffe and have seen a few of her paintings, but didn't expect to be bowled over by this book. However, it's size and vivid photos show the artwork so well that I really was. I liked that the pictures were presented without any accompanying text; and that the only writing and explanations (except the really excellent epigraph) came at the back of the book, where they could inform, but not spoil. The flowers paintings themselves really captured my attention and had my brain producing word associations as I turned from page to page. Neat stuff!
September 5, 2014
flowers--up close and personal, just as O'Keeffe wanted us to see them. I lose myself looking into the oversize pages of this book.
September 13, 2014
Amazing!!
October 26, 2020
I picked up my tiny copy years ago in Santa Fe at the museum there. I love it but it is best to see her actual work as there are surprising things you actually notice in the originals.
May 25, 2017
Beautiful reproductions of 100 Georgia O'Keefe paintings with a smidgen of background and a few details.
November 28, 2017
A tiny book to add to your tiny book collection. An excellent collection of some of Georgia O'Keeffe's works. Love it!
June 12, 2024
O'Keefe On flowers:
“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.”
" . . . nobody sees flowers really. . . to see takes time."
"If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it 's your world for the moment."
Georgia O’Keefe: 100 Flowers is a huge sumptuous coffee table book--a 16 x 13 3/8 inch format, hardcover. I dust it off before I see the Georgia O’Keefe: New York exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute in summer 2024. The afterword includes an essay by Nicholas Calloway putting her flowers in the context of her other work, detailing her approach to painting them.
Some Georgia O’Keefe flowers here:
https://www.georgiaokeeffe.net/painti...
Ms. Plummer’s Art class on You Tube, focusing on her flowers, so you can see a variety here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKdpv...
“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.”
" . . . nobody sees flowers really. . . to see takes time."
"If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it 's your world for the moment."
Georgia O’Keefe: 100 Flowers is a huge sumptuous coffee table book--a 16 x 13 3/8 inch format, hardcover. I dust it off before I see the Georgia O’Keefe: New York exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute in summer 2024. The afterword includes an essay by Nicholas Calloway putting her flowers in the context of her other work, detailing her approach to painting them.
Some Georgia O’Keefe flowers here:
https://www.georgiaokeeffe.net/painti...
Ms. Plummer’s Art class on You Tube, focusing on her flowers, so you can see a variety here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKdpv...
November 29, 2025
Beautiful & large color plates, the best collection of O’Keeffe’s flower paintings I’ve seen assembled. I love that the author added some backstory on their chance meeting with the artist, the search for her work, a brief summary of O’Keeffe’s life, artistic muses, and intentions, but that they didn’t try to over explain visual art forms with grandiose text.
January 18, 2021
A beautiful book of Georgia O'Keefe's paintings.
I can look at them everyday. She's one of my favorite artists and
her paintings bring such joy.
I can look at them everyday. She's one of my favorite artists and
her paintings bring such joy.
December 5, 2021
Beautifully printed reproductions of O’Keeffe’s flower paintings. Confronting an O’Keeffe flower tends to make the viewer feel ”as if we humans were butterflies”.
December 12, 2022
I love it and you might too!
December 29, 2025
In need of a holiday reminder of the beauty in the world? Lovely and in great condition!
September 4, 2009
O'Keeffe at her commercial best.
For both flower and watercolor fans. G.O'K's 'best' work is perhaps elsewhere, but this is certainly the compendium for the art lovers shelf of some, if not her best and most widely known work.
A fun and colorful coffee table book, with a few surprises. There are flowers in this volume that never existed, no matter how much some may insist to the contrary.
Worth a look or two.
For both flower and watercolor fans. G.O'K's 'best' work is perhaps elsewhere, but this is certainly the compendium for the art lovers shelf of some, if not her best and most widely known work.
A fun and colorful coffee table book, with a few surprises. There are flowers in this volume that never existed, no matter how much some may insist to the contrary.
Worth a look or two.
Read
April 19, 2009It's so beautiful.
October 29, 2009
This is a luscious book to look at!
June 1, 2011
While I am not a major fan of O'Keefe's, this is a marvelously formatted, photograped and produced volume.
October 13, 2013
I checked out a huge sized edition of this at the library. I was utterly amazed by what she did with flowers! I have been trying to learn to do the same. This was a very inspiring book!
December 27, 2013
This is a great book and reproductions of her flower pieces.
January 10, 2014
I have the full size edition and it is stunning!
November 18, 2021
My lovely review disappeared. That’s weird. This is a lovely and inspiring book. Georgia O’Keefe helps us see the natural world in new ways and to open our innate creativity.
May 16, 2022
No text. Just large beautiful photographs of some of her flower paintings.
February 22, 2012
One of my favorite inspirations for doing watercolors.
September 6, 2014
Good essay at the end of the book. Nice color on the reproduced flower images. Gift sized.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews