Two Lives: A Conversation in Paintings and Photographs

by Georgia O'Keeffe, Alfred Stieglitz

Excellent condition

Genres: Art, Photography, Biography, Canon

144 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

Georgia 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.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

In preparation to see the Chicago Art Institute Georgia O'Keefe: New York work, I dusted off some of the Georgia O'Keefe books I have around the house, and this is one of the best. I recently read an audiobook original Something That Cannot Die by Paula McClain (that I didn't love) that focused on her move from Manhattan, where she was living with Alfred Stieglitz, to the American southwest. But this book, which I have read more than once before, is amazing, highly recommended.

Two Lives is a gorgeous curation of photographs and paintings that were in the exhibition displayed at the Phillip’s Collection in Washington D.C., in 1992. In facing pages you see how much they grew from each other, working in different media on the same subjects. At one point she is quoted as saying she was influenced more by his work than his person (though she always loved him, in spite of his "many contradictions," she says), but elsewhere he seems to make it clear that her person was as much of an inspiration to him as the work itself (though we know he didn't always love what she did, initially).

Three essays grace this collection, one by Roget Shattuck that places their work in the context of the art at the time, and how they helped shape their media and all art movements in certain ways; an essay by Belinda Rathbone about Stieglitz and how O'Keefe influenced his work, and an essay by Elizabeth Hutton Turner on how O'Keefe was influenced by Stieglitz. It's an amazing book!

[Steffi Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful rendition of the exhibition displayed at the Phillip’s Collection in Washington, in 1992.

The art placement made me feel as if I could visualise the connection O’Keeffe and Stieglitz had and how they grew together, then eventually apart, whilst still working.

Having seen an O’Keeffe exhibition myself in Toronto and having learnt about how her relationship with Stieglitz explicitly defined an era of her artistic creation I was content after flipping through the artwork of this text. Although I do have to say that the age gap between O’Keeffe and Stieglitz seemed romanticised and it appeared she felt him a worthwhile companion mainly due to his artistic career and education. Personally, I don’t find this isn’t a negation of O’Keeffe’s judgement or artistic capabilities as is objectively proven throughout her career as an artist.

Some of my favourites pieces by O’Keeffe from this text:

Evening Star (1924)
Music - Pink and Blue I. (1919)
Blue I. (1917)

[Mary D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received this book from my mother's collection. It reminded me of how enamored of the O'Keefe-Stieglitz story I was when I first discovered it as a young adult. It also helped me rediscover my love of their work. This is from the Editor's Introduction: "This book was conceived and developed....in conjunction with an exhibition of the same title curated by Elizabeth Hutton Turner of The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C." It contains 3 thoughtful essays discussing how the two artists influenced each other's work over their years together and reproductions of works to illustrate the comparisons.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how O'Keefe's paintings were juxtaposed & put side by side with Stieglitz's photographs. Very interesting and visually fun to look at each person seperate and then see their creative work side by side.

[AGustavia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find it.....amazing way of seeing two artists

[Eriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting account of two modern american artists.

[Anna]

The cover: http://www.kaaterskillbooks.com/img/2...

This is a gorgeous book.