Image and Imagination: Georgia O'keeffe by John Loengard

by John Loengard (Photographer), Georgia O'Keeffe (Contributor)

On the occasion of Georgia O'Keeffe's 80th birthday in 1966, Life magazine dispatched photographer John Loengard to her home in New Mexico to document a day in the life of the pioneering American artist. Loengard's elegant black and white images capture the grand, solitary woman in the desert, and candid shots record her daily routine at Ghost Ranch. Juxtaposed here with selected O'Keeffe paintings, these photographs reveal how the austere poetry of the landscape corresponded to the artist's own painterly world. This unique marriage of paintings and photographs, presented in a stunningcollectible volume, also includes a touching introduction by Loengard describing his first encounter with O'Keeffe and contemplative writings by the artist herself on her work and inspirations.

Genres: Photography, Art

80 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2007

About the author

John Loengard is a veteran LIFE photographer and an archivist of LIFE's illustrious history. He received the Henry Luce Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 from TIme Inc.

Reviews

[Benjy Shashinka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really special book, and great for when you're in a contemplative mood, want to be artistically inspired, or in need of an emotional pick-me-up. The paintings of O'Keeffe are juxtaposed with relevant B&W photos by John Loengard (the picture editor of LIFE Magazine at the time and an excellent photographer in his own right). So, for instance, you'll have an O'Keeffe painting of a black stone, contrasted with an artistic photograph of the same stone. Or one of her New Mexico landscapes, with a photo on the right-hand page of O'Keeffe taking an evening walk down a dusty path in the same New Mexico environment. It's such an intimate book that by the time you've finished reading it, you feel almost as if you've become a friend of O'Keeffe's. I also like that, while so many books focus on her (admittedly beautiful) flower paintings, this one is mainly comprised of her landscapes, which personally I find even more captivating.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars // Book opens with a preface by Lothar Schirmer. An essay by John Loengard, "A Visit with Georgia O'Keeffe" (dated 1994), introduces the collection of images from 1966 and 1967. Also present are a few quotes from O'Keeffe, and short bios of O'Keeffe and Loengard.

Sixty-five total images: 39 B&W photographs by Loengard and 26 color reproductions of O'Keeffe paintings. Many of the photos are lovely, but a few are absolutely exquisite. The pairing of paintings with photos works nicely throughout. In March 1968, Life magazine finally ran the O'Keeffe cover story, using 16 of the 39 photos included in this book.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been trying to pick up a few more art books -- I often steer away from them because they seem pricy.

This book pairs evocative pictures of Georgia O'Keefe with some of her most enigmatic images, and a little text about her life. I enjoyed it; the art of the photographer brings insight into the artist and her art. I've always only really liked her flower paintings, (I have one on the wall in my living room.) but I enjoyed the motifs of skull and stone and desert house much more in this context than alone.

The pictures are beautiful, O'Keefe is fascinating to see in the life she has made for herself -- at 80, one can fairly be held responsible for one's surroundings.

Here's a quote, from a book with little text, but still worth reading:

I'm a newcomer to Abiquiu, that's one of the lower forms of life. The Spanish people have been here since the 18thcentury. The house was a pigpen when I got it in 1946. The roof was falling in, the doors were falling off. But it had a beautiful view.
I wanted to make it my house, but I’ll tell you the dirt resists you. It is very hard to make the earth your own. The ranch is really home to me. I’ve done much less to try to make it mine. All my association with it is a kind of freedom. Yet it’s hard to live at the ranch. When I first came here, I had to go 70 miles on a dirt road to get supplies. Nobody would go by in two weeks. I thought the ranch would be good for me because nothing can grow here and I wouldn’t be able to use up my time gardening. But I got tired of canned vegetables so now I grow everything I need for the year at Abiquiu. I like to get up when the dawn comes. The dogs start talking to me and I like to make a fire and maybe some tea and then sit in bed and watch the sun come up. The morning is the best time, there are no people around. My pleasant disposition likes the world with nobody in it.