| Georgia O'Keeffe or Georgia Totto O'Keeffe was | | | | She canvassed the buildings of New York in "City |
| an American painter, who revolutionized the | | | | Night and New York--Night (1926)" and "Radiator |
| concept of modern abstract art. Born on | | | | Bldg--Night, New York (1927)." In one of her |
| November 15, 1887 in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, | | | | painting, 'The Black Iris (1926),' she magnified a |
| Georgia O'Keeffe grew up in Virginia. She | | | | flower beautifully, giving it a startling and an |
| graduated from the Chatham Protestant Episcopal | | | | unusual look. Later in her career, O'Keeffe |
| Institute in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1904, and | | | | introduced different patterns of the sky, which |
| studied painting at the Art Institute of Chicago | | | | she observed during her travels by air. Her mural, |
| (1905) and the Art Students League of New York | | | | 'Sky above Clouds (1962-63),' is one of her |
| (1907). She later moved to Texas and headed | | | | largest illustrations. |
| the Art Department at the West Texas State | | | | Georgia O'Keeffe finally settled down in Abiquiu, |
| Normal College in 1916. The charm of the barren | | | | New Mexico, after her husband's death in 1949. |
| landscape caught O'Keeffe's fascination, tilting the | | | | She continued to fascinate the world with her |
| balance of her artistic skills towards capturing the | | | | emotive and simple paintings of exotic |
| beauty of the valleys and plains that surrounded | | | | southwestern landscapes. By the time her |
| her. | | | | illustrious career ended with her death in 1986, |
| Georgia's paintings drew up a close-up view of | | | | Georgia had carved a niche for herself and had |
| desert flowers, backdrops, cow skulls, and Calla | | | | left behind a legacy, which became a major |
| Lilies. Her work won her a passionate audience. | | | | source of inspiration for the other artists. |
| Her artistic brilliance was first noticed in her | | | | O'Keeffe always maintained that anything around |
| charcoal drawings of bud and flowers in 1916. Ace | | | | her that came to her notice and intrigued her, she |
| photographer and art gallery director of 291, | | | | simply brought to the canvas. She was awarded |
| Alfred Stieglitz, whom Georgia later married, | | | | the National Medal of Arts by the National |
| exhibited 10 of her drawings in the same year. | | | | Endowments of the Arts Washington, DC in 1985, |
| She had the knack of capturing and representing | | | | which was presented to her by President Ronald |
| natural beauty in her own distinct ways. April | | | | Regan. She was also awarded the Medal of |
| 1917, O'Keeffe held her first solo show at the art | | | | Freedom, which is the nation's highest civilian |
| gallery, 291. | | | | honor. The National Institute of Arts and Letters |
| 1920s witnessed some of the best artworks of | | | | awarded her a Gold Medal for Painting. She also |
| O'Keeffe. Her first large scale flower painting, | | | | held the distinct honor of being the first woman |
| "Petunia, No.2 (1924)," was first exhibited in 1925. | | | | to exhibit her art at the Museum of Modern Art. |
