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Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe
“Readers will welcome what Lisle has found. The woman who emerges has extraordinary personal stature, artistic gifts, commitment to her vision.” —(Chicago Tribune)
Recollections of more than one hundred of O’Keeffe’s friends, relatives, colleagues, and neighbors—including 16 pages of photographs—as well as published and previously unpublished historical records and letters provide “an excellent portrait of a nearly legendary figure” (San Francisco Chronicle).
Georgia O’Keeffe, one of the most original painters America has ever produced, left behind a remarkable legacy when she died at the age of ninety-eight. Her vivid visual vocabulary—sensuous flowers, bleached bones against red sky and earth—had a stunning, profound, and lasting influence on American art in this century.
O’Keeffe’s personal mystique is as intriguing and enduring as her bold, brilliant canvases. Portrait of an Artist is an in-depth account of her exceptional life—from her girlhood and early days as a controversial art teacher, to her discovery by the pioneering photographer of the New York avant-garde, Alfred Stieglitz, to her seclusion in the New Mexico desert where she lived until her death.
Renowned for her fierce independence, iron determination, and unique artistic vision, Georgia O’Keeffe is a twentieth-century legend. Her dazzling career spans virtually the entire history of modern art in America.
Armed with passion, steadfastness, and three years poring over research, former Newsweek reporter Laurie Lisle finally shines a light on one of the most significant and innovative twentieth century artists.
Recollections of more than one hundred of O’Keeffe’s friends, relatives, colleagues, and neighbors—including 16 pages of photographs—as well as published and previously unpublished historical records and letters provide “an excellent portrait of a nearly legendary figure” (San Francisco Chronicle).
Georgia O’Keeffe, one of the most original painters America has ever produced, left behind a remarkable legacy when she died at the age of ninety-eight. Her vivid visual vocabulary—sensuous flowers, bleached bones against red sky and earth—had a stunning, profound, and lasting influence on American art in this century.
O’Keeffe’s personal mystique is as intriguing and enduring as her bold, brilliant canvases. Portrait of an Artist is an in-depth account of her exceptional life—from her girlhood and early days as a controversial art teacher, to her discovery by the pioneering photographer of the New York avant-garde, Alfred Stieglitz, to her seclusion in the New Mexico desert where she lived until her death.
Renowned for her fierce independence, iron determination, and unique artistic vision, Georgia O’Keeffe is a twentieth-century legend. Her dazzling career spans virtually the entire history of modern art in America.
Armed with passion, steadfastness, and three years poring over research, former Newsweek reporter Laurie Lisle finally shines a light on one of the most significant and innovative twentieth century artists.
528 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 1997
157 people are currently reading
2882 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Lisle
7 books58 followersLaurie Lisle's most recent book is her memoir, Word for Word: A Writer's Life. Publisher Weekly's BookLife says "it pulses with intellectual discussions, lived feminist history and its resultant tensions…It's great for fans of Vivian Gornick's Fierce Attachments and Rebecca Solnit's Recollections of My Nonexistence."
She also wrote the first biographies of artists Georgia O'Keeffe and Louise Nevelson. Her best-selling biography of O'Keeffe, Portrait of an Artist, first published in 1980, has been translated into six languages. It is included in Five Hundred Great Books by Women.
Her biography about sculptor Louise Nevelson, known for her dramatic black walls and assemblages, is titled Louise Nevelson: A Passionate Life.
She has also written books about childlessness, gardening, and the small girls' high school, where she decided to become a writer. Their titles are Without Child: Challenging the Stigma of Childlessness, Four Tenths of an Acre: Reflections on a Gardening Life, and Westover: Giving Girls a Place of Their Own.
Laurie lives in the village of Sharon, Connecticut with her husband, artist Robert Kipniss. When she is not writing or reading, she is hiking or working in her flower garden.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
April 30, 2019
I'm no great reader of biographies. I tend to find them lackluster with their cradle-to-grave narrative arc and cheap psychologizing. But this particular work is terrific. It's insightful. We see how Georgia O'Keeffe's talent developed early in life. In 1903-04 Georgia and her many sisters were driven some miles in a horse and buggy from their Wisconsin farm to art lessons, an almost unheard of extravagance in those still largely frontier days. We follow O'Keeffe during her subsequent study at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Art Students League in New York (57th St.), and Columbia University (Teacher's College), also in New York. She becomes a most unorthodox teacher of art in Virginia and, later, Texas. It is while there, in West Texas, that she discovers Big Sky country, the American southwest, whose strange beauty was to possess her for the rest of her life. But between the Texas teaching and the full-time move to New Mexico there was an interval in New York when she was discovered by Alfred Stieglitz, the photographer and gallerist, who championed her, scandalously left his wife and married her, a woman 25 years younger than himself. For about twenty years she lives with the garrulous Stieglitz in New York. In the spring and summer they shift activities to the Stieglitz family compound upstate on Lake George. Here the great man is surrounded by his large family and circle of admirers. For Georgia, the East ultimately comes to seem a dead place. She yearns for the desert southwest. A change is made. Instead of going to Lake George for the summer, she will go to New Mexico, where she will paint prolifically. (She was virtually blocked in the East.)
There she discovers Ghost Ranch, and a few years later the house at Abiquiu. Steiglitz doesn't like the arrangement but he knows she will not paint otherwise, so her lets her go. The arrangement continues until his death in 1946, when, after three years spent settling his estate, she moves west full time. In the 1960s, the heyday of Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art, she undergoes a ludicrous fall from critical favor. The absurd interpretations by the critics of the day are well represented, and hilarious they are too for being so fantastically off the mark. In the early 1970s she is justly returned to her proper status with a series of big shows in major U.S. cities. I found her will an astonishing thing to contemplate. Unlike most people, and this was her greatest gift in my view, perhaps greater than her artistic mastery, she knew what she wanted from life, almost from day one, and she doggedly went out and got it. This focus is at the core of her spare way of life and stripped down esthetic. Most of all she had this immense appetite for solitude. For most of us, with our various codependencies, that's hard to imagine. But it was fascinating to see it manifest in the life of this woman whose character seems set from the moment of birth. She is an astonishing historical figure largely because of her output of a timeless body of art which has defied all critical reductions. The author has done an excellent job. The biography's far more penetrating than I had thought it could be. And this is done for the most part by showing and quotation, not by that awful sort of psychologizing that is actually a projection of the writer's own wishes. Warmly recommended.
There she discovers Ghost Ranch, and a few years later the house at Abiquiu. Steiglitz doesn't like the arrangement but he knows she will not paint otherwise, so her lets her go. The arrangement continues until his death in 1946, when, after three years spent settling his estate, she moves west full time. In the 1960s, the heyday of Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art, she undergoes a ludicrous fall from critical favor. The absurd interpretations by the critics of the day are well represented, and hilarious they are too for being so fantastically off the mark. In the early 1970s she is justly returned to her proper status with a series of big shows in major U.S. cities. I found her will an astonishing thing to contemplate. Unlike most people, and this was her greatest gift in my view, perhaps greater than her artistic mastery, she knew what she wanted from life, almost from day one, and she doggedly went out and got it. This focus is at the core of her spare way of life and stripped down esthetic. Most of all she had this immense appetite for solitude. For most of us, with our various codependencies, that's hard to imagine. But it was fascinating to see it manifest in the life of this woman whose character seems set from the moment of birth. She is an astonishing historical figure largely because of her output of a timeless body of art which has defied all critical reductions. The author has done an excellent job. The biography's far more penetrating than I had thought it could be. And this is done for the most part by showing and quotation, not by that awful sort of psychologizing that is actually a projection of the writer's own wishes. Warmly recommended.
October 21, 2022
O’Keeffe was the consummate “artist” and any characterization could easily have been stiff and stereotypical, but not here. Lisle, more often than not, was able to pry open that guarded, introverted, almost misanthropic oyster that was Georgia O’Keeffe and gift us all with a fleeting glimpse of the pearl inside.
As a biographer, Laurie Lisle can be informative, enlightening, and engaging—though almost never all at the same time. Her composition, as good as it is, left me with half as many questions as answers. The ending, for example, was strangely abrupt; it concluded with, almost literally, “…and then Georgia died. The End.” There was no introspection, no reflection, and very little room for remorse. I had the sense that this biographical endeavor had taken an exhausting toll on her and she was anxious to put it behind her. That’s all speculation on my part, of course, but there is no sense of closure here. ‘Portrait of an Artist’ ends where Georgia O’Keeffe ends—concluded but oddly unresolved.
Original review written August 3, 2022
________________________________________
Update: October 20, 2022
It turns out that this biography was originally published during Georgia O’Keeffe’s lifetime. An “updated edition” (reviewed above) was released after the artist passed away with add-on material that may or may not have been written by the author. This explains the oddly abrupt final chapter and why, in the interest of fairness, I have bumped up my rating to four stars.
As a biographer, Laurie Lisle can be informative, enlightening, and engaging—though almost never all at the same time. Her composition, as good as it is, left me with half as many questions as answers. The ending, for example, was strangely abrupt; it concluded with, almost literally, “…and then Georgia died. The End.” There was no introspection, no reflection, and very little room for remorse. I had the sense that this biographical endeavor had taken an exhausting toll on her and she was anxious to put it behind her. That’s all speculation on my part, of course, but there is no sense of closure here. ‘Portrait of an Artist’ ends where Georgia O’Keeffe ends—concluded but oddly unresolved.
Original review written August 3, 2022
________________________________________
Update: October 20, 2022
It turns out that this biography was originally published during Georgia O’Keeffe’s lifetime. An “updated edition” (reviewed above) was released after the artist passed away with add-on material that may or may not have been written by the author. This explains the oddly abrupt final chapter and why, in the interest of fairness, I have bumped up my rating to four stars.
January 1, 2013
This is one of the two biographies recommended to docents at the O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe--the less technical one, according to the gift shop assistant who helped me select one. I chose "less technical" because I wanted a fast read--and it was, because Georgia O'Keeffe was such an interesting person.
I deducted one star because the writing style is not exceptional. The writer was too much in the way, creating the feeling of being told only what the writer found out. Of course, one wants the truth, but somehow this seemed taped together.
Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about O'Keeffe and learning more about her. Reading most of it while I was in the impressive landscape of Santa Fe itself made O'Keeffe feel more "present." I took a day trip to Taos, a place O'Keeffe said she would not live because it was too arty!
Much has been said about O'Keeffe's brusque personality, and this book, too, presents more of that than any softer side or even romance. I was under the impression O'Keeffe had lovers besides Steiglitz, at least after his death, and perhaps shortly after she moved to New Mexico. This volume says nothing about that, so I don't know more than the vague impressions I've gathered over the years.
Regarding her apparent harshness, I suspect some of it was her mischievous sense of humor misunderstood or misinterpreted by those around her. In school, she was quite the life of the party; though, she was careful not to get caught purveying trouble. It's possible that in mid- and later-life, she was still not "caught" being mischievous with a remark, such as when someone appeared at her gate asking to see her and O'Keeffe said, "Front side," then turned and said "Back side. Good-bye." She did not suffer fools gladly. (Perhaps a more specific request would have garnered a different answer.)
Most important to O'Keeffe was painting and Portrait of an Artist treats her style and development thoroughly. She was aware her success created expectations that each year's show would surpass the last. Usually that happened through her normal process of pushing herself to her limits, but in later years it added stress.
Like great comedians or musicians, she became an "overnight success" by honing her craft and getting better at it day after day, year after year. Without seeing her paintings chronologically, what exactly she did to improve escapes me, but such changes are mentioned in this tome.
I've wondered about motifs I've seen in paintings, repeated elements or entire scenes. O'Keeffe explained that for herself, she painted a thing over and over, e.g. the door in her courtyard, trying to get it "right."
She embraced feminism early, but later distanced herself from it because she did not want to be a "woman painter." She wanted to be a "painter," period, and that was the strongest thing she could do for the cause; although, helping the cause was not her intent.
If you want to do something great with your life, be inspired by this person who at age 10 decided to be an artist, and with few breaks worked at that every day of her life. She studied. She focused. She thought. She considered. She painted. Over and over again. Till she got it right.
I deducted one star because the writing style is not exceptional. The writer was too much in the way, creating the feeling of being told only what the writer found out. Of course, one wants the truth, but somehow this seemed taped together.
Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about O'Keeffe and learning more about her. Reading most of it while I was in the impressive landscape of Santa Fe itself made O'Keeffe feel more "present." I took a day trip to Taos, a place O'Keeffe said she would not live because it was too arty!
Much has been said about O'Keeffe's brusque personality, and this book, too, presents more of that than any softer side or even romance. I was under the impression O'Keeffe had lovers besides Steiglitz, at least after his death, and perhaps shortly after she moved to New Mexico. This volume says nothing about that, so I don't know more than the vague impressions I've gathered over the years.
Regarding her apparent harshness, I suspect some of it was her mischievous sense of humor misunderstood or misinterpreted by those around her. In school, she was quite the life of the party; though, she was careful not to get caught purveying trouble. It's possible that in mid- and later-life, she was still not "caught" being mischievous with a remark, such as when someone appeared at her gate asking to see her and O'Keeffe said, "Front side," then turned and said "Back side. Good-bye." She did not suffer fools gladly. (Perhaps a more specific request would have garnered a different answer.)
Most important to O'Keeffe was painting and Portrait of an Artist treats her style and development thoroughly. She was aware her success created expectations that each year's show would surpass the last. Usually that happened through her normal process of pushing herself to her limits, but in later years it added stress.
Like great comedians or musicians, she became an "overnight success" by honing her craft and getting better at it day after day, year after year. Without seeing her paintings chronologically, what exactly she did to improve escapes me, but such changes are mentioned in this tome.
I've wondered about motifs I've seen in paintings, repeated elements or entire scenes. O'Keeffe explained that for herself, she painted a thing over and over, e.g. the door in her courtyard, trying to get it "right."
She embraced feminism early, but later distanced herself from it because she did not want to be a "woman painter." She wanted to be a "painter," period, and that was the strongest thing she could do for the cause; although, helping the cause was not her intent.
If you want to do something great with your life, be inspired by this person who at age 10 decided to be an artist, and with few breaks worked at that every day of her life. She studied. She focused. She thought. She considered. She painted. Over and over again. Till she got it right.
November 6, 2020
Halfway through:
Look at Georgia photographed by Alfred Stieglitz: https://www.google.se/search?q=alfred...
Look at the chin. Who she is is visible in her eyes and in that chin.
This book is very, very good. Keep in mind I am no huge fan of all those huge flower paintings. The person is what drew me, and I am not disappointed. Did SHE intend the eroticism so often associated with her paintings? Damn art critics! I have always been terribly dissatisfied with the need of critics to explain art. Isn't it enough to look and ask yourself what you feel?
**********************************
On completion:
I adored this book. My pleasure has been drawn from getting to understand Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986). What a person! It is her, not her art that speaks to me. I had no idea who she was before picking up this book, other than her art of course. Now I simply feel happy knowing that such a person existed.
So maybe you think, since I am so happy to "know" her now, that she has been idolized here in these pages. Forget that. This is no hagiography. The good and the bad, all of it is here. I love it because you get the truth; because you feel when you close the book you intimately know another soul. I am thinking, this person was out there, and I knew nothing about her . I was merely acquainted with her artwork. Do you understand? It is knowing the person that is such an immense revelation to me.
There are revealing quotes, of things she has said and of what others said. She was blunt. She knew what she thought, and she said it. She knew what she wanted to do, and she did it. She was self-reliant. She worked hard. Her advice to other artists? “You must really work and not just talk about working.” Alfred Stieglitz, her husband the famed photographer, said that when she wanted something she made other people give it to her. So true. There is a story about a little stone..... It’s a perfect example! She got that stone, but the point is here that how she got it is so well told. Both what is unknown and what is known is clarified. The author throws in marvelous details that are revealing, amusing, poignant.
O'Keeffe tried to show people how to see. Listening to her words she made me better appreciate what I see. How to emotionally relate to what is before our eyes. She saw the world around her and she showed me what she saw and how she felt. The emotional impact is part of seeing. It is the author that has achieved this, not Georgia O'Keeffe, because it was her that has chosen the quotes and put them there in the right sequence so the reader understands their import.
O'Keeffe knew so many famous artists. Easily the book could have succumbed to name-dropping. That doesn't happen; each person referred to is tied in with relevant, fascinating information. An example - at 84 O'Keeffe lost her central vision; from then she saw only peripherally. In reference to this the American artist Mary Cassatt's loss of vision is mentioned. How O'Keeffe coped is well drawn, both emotionally and concretely. There is a particular broach given to her by Alexander Calder, this being another example.
A word about the writing. The author is married to an artist. You can tell. In the audiobook we see no pictures. I do not know what pictures are included in the hardcover. On one level this isn’t a problem because with internet images are accessible. Yet color, both hue and intensity, is integral to the art of O’Keeffe, and color on a computer screen is not true to life, but neither is it in a printed book! Thus the author’s words in conveying the correct feeling and nuance are essential. The author beautifully describes landscapes, events and artwork with artistic lines. She speaks of “the curl of a lip and the raising of an eyebrow” so you see them. Her written words let you see what a picture can show. Here are some examples:
-the celestial blues, milky whites, pale pinks of the painting radiated a glacial light
-a sunset's hot golden glow on the valley
-the chunk of heaven the artist had captured
You need such writing in a book about art.
The book is about O’Keeffe, but it is also about Alfred Stieglitz! Both are fascinating individuals. Their relationship is portrayed honestly and with insight, and how it changed. He died in 1946; she in 1986. That is forty years in-between. Her life was far from over. She needed a new agent. She travelled. She met Juan Hamilton. Her life in Abiquiù, New Mexico. It is all here, up to her death. She chose cremation, no funeral or memorial service.
The audiobook I listened to is narrated by Grace Conlin. It started off too fast, but the speed slows down except in a few sections. I grew to like the narration very much. When you listen to O’Keeffe quotes you can wonder if she is being sarcastic, deliberately funny or just direct. This is part of her character and it comes across perfectly.
I believe this books means so much to me because I easily relate to O’Keeffe’s personality. I am too blunt. I am too much of a perfectionist. I share her view on art critics and feminists. She is a feminist by her deeds, not through talk. We both hate cooking but enjoy taste. We both value simplicity and prefer black clothing. We are both tied to nature and see its beauty. Have I given you enough of an idea to determine if O’Keefe as a person might be someone you can relate to? Of course, you can also read the book to simply learn of what she accomplished.
I was uncertain when I began whether to read this book by Laurie Lisle or Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe. The second is historical fiction. Why read that and wonder on completion which of the details were true? I am totally satisfied with my decision.
If I love a book, the first thing I do is go and check if I can read another by the author. There is this: Louise Nevelson: A Passionate Life. Wow, doesn’t that look interesting? It isn’t available to me, but I would grab it immediately if I could. If you read it, please tell me if it is as good.
Look at Georgia photographed by Alfred Stieglitz: https://www.google.se/search?q=alfred...
Look at the chin. Who she is is visible in her eyes and in that chin.
This book is very, very good. Keep in mind I am no huge fan of all those huge flower paintings. The person is what drew me, and I am not disappointed. Did SHE intend the eroticism so often associated with her paintings? Damn art critics! I have always been terribly dissatisfied with the need of critics to explain art. Isn't it enough to look and ask yourself what you feel?
**********************************
On completion:
I adored this book. My pleasure has been drawn from getting to understand Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986). What a person! It is her, not her art that speaks to me. I had no idea who she was before picking up this book, other than her art of course. Now I simply feel happy knowing that such a person existed.
So maybe you think, since I am so happy to "know" her now, that she has been idolized here in these pages. Forget that. This is no hagiography. The good and the bad, all of it is here. I love it because you get the truth; because you feel when you close the book you intimately know another soul. I am thinking, this person was out there, and I knew nothing about her . I was merely acquainted with her artwork. Do you understand? It is knowing the person that is such an immense revelation to me.
There are revealing quotes, of things she has said and of what others said. She was blunt. She knew what she thought, and she said it. She knew what she wanted to do, and she did it. She was self-reliant. She worked hard. Her advice to other artists? “You must really work and not just talk about working.” Alfred Stieglitz, her husband the famed photographer, said that when she wanted something she made other people give it to her. So true. There is a story about a little stone..... It’s a perfect example! She got that stone, but the point is here that how she got it is so well told. Both what is unknown and what is known is clarified. The author throws in marvelous details that are revealing, amusing, poignant.
O'Keeffe tried to show people how to see. Listening to her words she made me better appreciate what I see. How to emotionally relate to what is before our eyes. She saw the world around her and she showed me what she saw and how she felt. The emotional impact is part of seeing. It is the author that has achieved this, not Georgia O'Keeffe, because it was her that has chosen the quotes and put them there in the right sequence so the reader understands their import.
O'Keeffe knew so many famous artists. Easily the book could have succumbed to name-dropping. That doesn't happen; each person referred to is tied in with relevant, fascinating information. An example - at 84 O'Keeffe lost her central vision; from then she saw only peripherally. In reference to this the American artist Mary Cassatt's loss of vision is mentioned. How O'Keeffe coped is well drawn, both emotionally and concretely. There is a particular broach given to her by Alexander Calder, this being another example.
A word about the writing. The author is married to an artist. You can tell. In the audiobook we see no pictures. I do not know what pictures are included in the hardcover. On one level this isn’t a problem because with internet images are accessible. Yet color, both hue and intensity, is integral to the art of O’Keeffe, and color on a computer screen is not true to life, but neither is it in a printed book! Thus the author’s words in conveying the correct feeling and nuance are essential. The author beautifully describes landscapes, events and artwork with artistic lines. She speaks of “the curl of a lip and the raising of an eyebrow” so you see them. Her written words let you see what a picture can show. Here are some examples:
-the celestial blues, milky whites, pale pinks of the painting radiated a glacial light
-a sunset's hot golden glow on the valley
-the chunk of heaven the artist had captured
You need such writing in a book about art.
The book is about O’Keeffe, but it is also about Alfred Stieglitz! Both are fascinating individuals. Their relationship is portrayed honestly and with insight, and how it changed. He died in 1946; she in 1986. That is forty years in-between. Her life was far from over. She needed a new agent. She travelled. She met Juan Hamilton. Her life in Abiquiù, New Mexico. It is all here, up to her death. She chose cremation, no funeral or memorial service.
The audiobook I listened to is narrated by Grace Conlin. It started off too fast, but the speed slows down except in a few sections. I grew to like the narration very much. When you listen to O’Keeffe quotes you can wonder if she is being sarcastic, deliberately funny or just direct. This is part of her character and it comes across perfectly.
I believe this books means so much to me because I easily relate to O’Keeffe’s personality. I am too blunt. I am too much of a perfectionist. I share her view on art critics and feminists. She is a feminist by her deeds, not through talk. We both hate cooking but enjoy taste. We both value simplicity and prefer black clothing. We are both tied to nature and see its beauty. Have I given you enough of an idea to determine if O’Keefe as a person might be someone you can relate to? Of course, you can also read the book to simply learn of what she accomplished.
I was uncertain when I began whether to read this book by Laurie Lisle or Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe. The second is historical fiction. Why read that and wonder on completion which of the details were true? I am totally satisfied with my decision.
If I love a book, the first thing I do is go and check if I can read another by the author. There is this: Louise Nevelson: A Passionate Life. Wow, doesn’t that look interesting? It isn’t available to me, but I would grab it immediately if I could. If you read it, please tell me if it is as good.
January 30, 2016
I read this book a long time ago, after first seeing some of the works of Georgia O'Keefe at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. I remember it being a wonderful feeling, something in her paintings resonated at a deep level, I didn't understand it, but I felt it and thus began a curious exploration into her life and works.
I remember this now, because her name has begun to pop up on my radar again, first with this novel Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe due for publication in Feb 2016 and then recently the discovery of a major retrospective of her work, planned from Jul 6 to Oct 30 at the Tate Modern in London, 100 years after her New York debut.
I remember this now, because her name has begun to pop up on my radar again, first with this novel Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe due for publication in Feb 2016 and then recently the discovery of a major retrospective of her work, planned from Jul 6 to Oct 30 at the Tate Modern in London, 100 years after her New York debut.
October 7, 2014
This is a well researched and presented biography of a complex personality. Georgia O'Keefe was an introvert, independent, determined individual. She did not suffer fools, period. The author tells her story from childhood through her time as a controversial art teacher, through her marriage to Stieglitz, and her life in her beloved deserts of New Mexico. She tells the story honestly but respectfully. One can see and experience O'Keefe's triumphs as well as her moments of self-doubt. The reader learns a lot about the art world and the history of the times and how they affected this woman pioneering in a male dominated arena. Well done.
August 2, 2014
This is a wonderful biography of Georgia O'Keefe, showing her struggles for autonomy and her efforts to find her own pictoral images, amidst a relationship with an older well-known photographer. The biography has a light touch, but gives O'Keefe the full complexity of her unique character.
August 22, 2021
I listened to this audio book right after visiting the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This repeated a process of a few years ago where I listened to a biography of Frank Lloyd Wright by Ada Louise Huxtable right after visiting his masterpiece Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania.
In my earlier review I stated that “I’ve recently come to the conclusion that nearly all male geniuses are assholes and Huxtable certainly makes the case of putting Frank Lloyd Wright into this system.” Unfortunately, after listing to Portrait of an Artist I may have to add a few women to my statement.
Let me say that I am a fan of O’Keeffe’s paintings, particularly her large flowers. I find then fascinating. As all great artwork, they evoke emotions and it is extremely easy to get lost in them. Her blending of colors, brushstrokes, and composition are excellent and yes, despite her denials, I do find many of them vaginal.
I am generally not into biographies. I like to focus more on a person’s creations rather than on their life. Of course, most of the people I am most interested in are scientists. Knowing about Einstein’s childhood really doesn’t help me to understand E=MC2 any better.
When it comes to artwork, I am not an educated viewer. I have no art background and would have trouble discussing cubism vs realism vs impressionism. As I have already mentioned, I do enjoy paintings primarily for the feelings they invoke. Contrary to science, there is the possibility that knowing more about an artist can help one to understand their work better. Which leads us back to Portrait of an Artist.
First, kudos to the narrator Grace Conlin. Her reading of the book was clear and easy to follow. Her narration was interesting and with feeling but it never overshadowed the author’s words or the subject matter.
Laurie Lisle did an amazing “deep dive” into O’Keeffe’s life. The details about O’Keeffe’s; family, living situations, relationships, appearance, conflicts, conversations, and emotional trials is extensive. By the end of this book I felt like I knew everything about the subject except for her shoe size.
Of course, more than details, what is important in a biography is the essence of the individual. Lisle presents O’Keeffe’s strengths and weaknesses and her demons and angels in a clear and fair fashion. O’Keeffe clearly viewed the world very differently than most people and she herself could not explain it with words. As she said, I can only communicate via my paintings. If you asked me to explain them, I would just have to paint you another painting, which would probably look just like the first one.
O’Keeffe was hard on her family, on her friends, and on her lovers. She was probably not a lot of fun to be around. Of course, this was due to her being hardest on herself. In my admitted limited reading of biographies, I have come to the conclusion that most geniuses are self-absorbed, egotistical, and self-centered. O’Keeffe was a painter who broke through the intense sexist barriers of the artistic world to present innovative artwork that exposed her inner feelings for all to see. Therefore, I have to give her a pass on her egotism, hard veneer, and anti-social lifestyle. I doubt that she could have survived without them.
In my earlier review I stated that “I’ve recently come to the conclusion that nearly all male geniuses are assholes and Huxtable certainly makes the case of putting Frank Lloyd Wright into this system.” Unfortunately, after listing to Portrait of an Artist I may have to add a few women to my statement.
Let me say that I am a fan of O’Keeffe’s paintings, particularly her large flowers. I find then fascinating. As all great artwork, they evoke emotions and it is extremely easy to get lost in them. Her blending of colors, brushstrokes, and composition are excellent and yes, despite her denials, I do find many of them vaginal.
I am generally not into biographies. I like to focus more on a person’s creations rather than on their life. Of course, most of the people I am most interested in are scientists. Knowing about Einstein’s childhood really doesn’t help me to understand E=MC2 any better.
When it comes to artwork, I am not an educated viewer. I have no art background and would have trouble discussing cubism vs realism vs impressionism. As I have already mentioned, I do enjoy paintings primarily for the feelings they invoke. Contrary to science, there is the possibility that knowing more about an artist can help one to understand their work better. Which leads us back to Portrait of an Artist.
First, kudos to the narrator Grace Conlin. Her reading of the book was clear and easy to follow. Her narration was interesting and with feeling but it never overshadowed the author’s words or the subject matter.
Laurie Lisle did an amazing “deep dive” into O’Keeffe’s life. The details about O’Keeffe’s; family, living situations, relationships, appearance, conflicts, conversations, and emotional trials is extensive. By the end of this book I felt like I knew everything about the subject except for her shoe size.
Of course, more than details, what is important in a biography is the essence of the individual. Lisle presents O’Keeffe’s strengths and weaknesses and her demons and angels in a clear and fair fashion. O’Keeffe clearly viewed the world very differently than most people and she herself could not explain it with words. As she said, I can only communicate via my paintings. If you asked me to explain them, I would just have to paint you another painting, which would probably look just like the first one.
O’Keeffe was hard on her family, on her friends, and on her lovers. She was probably not a lot of fun to be around. Of course, this was due to her being hardest on herself. In my admitted limited reading of biographies, I have come to the conclusion that most geniuses are self-absorbed, egotistical, and self-centered. O’Keeffe was a painter who broke through the intense sexist barriers of the artistic world to present innovative artwork that exposed her inner feelings for all to see. Therefore, I have to give her a pass on her egotism, hard veneer, and anti-social lifestyle. I doubt that she could have survived without them.
May 28, 2017
Published during O'Keeffe's lifetime, this is the first of the artist's biographies. Lisle had the advantage of being able to interview "more than a hundred" people who knew O'Keeffe and were willing to talk about her. On the other hand, she had the disadvantage of writing an unauthorized biography of a living subject, which means that she had to tread delicately through a minefield of issues. (For an interesting take on what has been called a "suicidal" job, see this NYT article by biographer Janny Scott http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/11/22...) What's more, the full extent of Juan Hamilton's influence over O'Keeffe did not emerge until after her death and the probate of her will, some seven years after the publication of this book.
Still, while Portrait of an Artist is not as revealing (or anti-iconographic) as other biographies, it is a very good read. Lisle is especially adept in dealing with O'Keeffe's early years and her place in the art world of the 1920s and 30s, and in the larger context of American culture. The book is easy to read, its narrative flow is compelling, and it continues to hold an authoritative place among O'Keeffe's other biographies.
Readers should be aware that the book was slightly revised in 1997, and that the current ebook edition (as of 5.25.2017) is taken from that revision. However, the additions are surprisingly slender: I counted only six added paragraphs in the final chapter and a revision from present to past tense in the last section. (I did not compare the full book.) Lisle does not change her generally sympathetic view to Hamilton, and she slides past the controversy over O'Keeffe's will, treating it in the context of a disagreement with New Mexico museums. It seems likely that she has moved on and is content to let her early work stand, perhaps feeling that other biographers have adequately treated the artist's last years.
Still, while Portrait of an Artist is not as revealing (or anti-iconographic) as other biographies, it is a very good read. Lisle is especially adept in dealing with O'Keeffe's early years and her place in the art world of the 1920s and 30s, and in the larger context of American culture. The book is easy to read, its narrative flow is compelling, and it continues to hold an authoritative place among O'Keeffe's other biographies.
Readers should be aware that the book was slightly revised in 1997, and that the current ebook edition (as of 5.25.2017) is taken from that revision. However, the additions are surprisingly slender: I counted only six added paragraphs in the final chapter and a revision from present to past tense in the last section. (I did not compare the full book.) Lisle does not change her generally sympathetic view to Hamilton, and she slides past the controversy over O'Keeffe's will, treating it in the context of a disagreement with New Mexico museums. It seems likely that she has moved on and is content to let her early work stand, perhaps feeling that other biographers have adequately treated the artist's last years.
December 7, 2018
This book seemed to go on forever. The author seemed to want to detail everything O'Keeffe had ever done and towards the end this resulted in a disintegration in coherence as the paragraphs became separate vignettes of little happenings. It almost started to feel like jotted down diary entries. What the writer did manage to get across was the beauty of O'Keeffe's paintings, their colour and their atmosphere. Georgia O'Keeffe was a very original painter for the eras in which she worked, with no training in Europe like many of her male contemporaries, she produced abstracts and what was termed colour field painting before these became part of fashionable art theory. As a colourist she is about light and about capturing the striking tones in nature. Her personal life was complex and yet she was austere in life and in her work. Most tend to speak of her independence having come from her relationship with Stieglitz, but though he brought her monetary independence, she was an independent spirit way before she met him and more so after they started to live separate lives.
The book provides an interesting overview of O'Keeffe's life, but it is also somewhat tedious and bitty.
The book provides an interesting overview of O'Keeffe's life, but it is also somewhat tedious and bitty.
April 24, 2015
1980. This was written while O'Keeffe was still living, but is not an authorized biography.
I read it to find out something about O'Keeffe [and because somebody had given me the book] since I had never known anything much about her life.
Lisle, a journalist, tells a whole lot of facts, and observations and opinions she got from interviewing relatives and acquaintances of O'K.
It's not a book to read for its literary value; it is not 'well written' but is serviceable.
Lisle interjects quite a lot of her own interpretations and judgments, which is fine as you clearly know she is doing it.
We hear a whole lot about husband Alfred Stieglitz which is just as interesting as what is told about O'Keeffe. What a neurotic man, but apparently with loads of charisma who attracted a very loyal following.
Lisle sort of lets us speculate on the extent to which O'Keeffe's career/celebrity is due to Stieglitz's management. And also speculate on O'Keeffe's own conscious manipulation of her public image. Very interesting topics.
I read it to find out something about O'Keeffe [and because somebody had given me the book] since I had never known anything much about her life.
Lisle, a journalist, tells a whole lot of facts, and observations and opinions she got from interviewing relatives and acquaintances of O'K.
It's not a book to read for its literary value; it is not 'well written' but is serviceable.
Lisle interjects quite a lot of her own interpretations and judgments, which is fine as you clearly know she is doing it.
We hear a whole lot about husband Alfred Stieglitz which is just as interesting as what is told about O'Keeffe. What a neurotic man, but apparently with loads of charisma who attracted a very loyal following.
Lisle sort of lets us speculate on the extent to which O'Keeffe's career/celebrity is due to Stieglitz's management. And also speculate on O'Keeffe's own conscious manipulation of her public image. Very interesting topics.
October 6, 2018
Very inspiring, not only for artists but also for women and anyone stubborn enough to go their own way in life.
April 3, 2021
This book is well researched but could contain a bit fewer details that are not so relevant.
Another good example of why biographies can (often) be more interesting than fiction... Who could have created a heroine this larger than life as Georgia O'Keeffe? You can dislike her artwork but you can not forget them once you see them. The same goes for her life stories.
Another good example of why biographies can (often) be more interesting than fiction... Who could have created a heroine this larger than life as Georgia O'Keeffe? You can dislike her artwork but you can not forget them once you see them. The same goes for her life stories.
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July 25, 2021It was interesting to compare and contrast this to the book I recently read--Foursome: Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe, Paul Strand, Rebecca Salsbury. It's always good to get different perspectives.
July 29, 2021
Very much enjoyed learning more about Ms. O'Keefe. When I mostly just associated her with he giant flower paintings and Santa Fe, reading about her life in detail and how much more she was within her family and community.
December 18, 2023
Enjoyable, comprehensive biography of the artist
April 10, 2024
My summary - the life of Georgia O’Keefe, from her parents on a farm in Wisconsin to her death in New Mexico. She was raised on the farm, moved to Virginia where her parents struggled. She was raised as a woman to be artistic and empowered, as her mother was. She was straightforward. She went to art school, where she excelled, but had to drop out because of money. She got teaching jobs in Amarillo and South Carolina and was always fluting around multiple homes and multiple jobs. She made abstract art, which was given to Alfred Stieglitz who owned an art gallery in NYC. They fell in love and Georgia begrudgingly married him. He was several years older. They spent their adult life splitting time between a NYC apartment and a Lake George house. She ate frugally and healthily. She dressed in nice fabrics, but simply in mainly black and white. She never dressed or did her hair in the fashion. Stieglitz became her manager and sold her paintings. He could be a bit eccentric about how he priced and sold each one. They had a married that was originally loving, but ended up being companionship or co-existing. Both had artistic needs and they let each other be their own person. Georgia said she couldn’t change him, but it appears some of the relationship was one-side. Georgia wanted to move to the west, but Stieglitz said he would never go there and he didn’t. Georgia returned to visit him until he died and then she had to continue her life alone. She became narcissistic, which was maybe necessary. She would turn against old friends because of a slight and could never be predicted to be nice or nasty. She had several close friends for short periods of time. She was originally a feminist, but then said she wasn’t. She said she didn’t like to paint flowers and they were not motifs for females. She said that if people couldn’t interpret her paintings, it was their fault because the meaning was on the canvas. She was unpredictable.
April 18, 2016
“Portrait of an Artist – A Biography of Georgia O’Keeffe” by Laurie Lisle. I wanted to explore the creative process, to get a glimpse into how an artist thinks, feels, plans and executes.
Georgia O’Keeffe transformed the way we understand the artistic endeavours of women. Her work was dramatic, full of colour and challenged the status quo. Recognized as the “Mother of American Modernism,” she was only twelve when she knew she would be an artist. And it seemed the universe complied with her wishes, orchestrating the experiences, the mentors and connections that pushed her vision forward. Known for her flower canvases and south-western landscapes, she became one of America’s most significant and successful artists.
Born in a Wisconsin farmhouse is 1887, she was a contemporary of Helen Keller (1880-1968), poet Edith Sitwell (1887-1964), writer Agatha Christie (1890 – 1976) and women’s activists Alice Paul (1885-1997) and Jeannette Rankin, (1880-1973).This was a time of opportunity for women, simply because they demanded a voice. Her journey from a small rural community to New York City to New Mexico is filled with a mixture of laughter, excitement, poignancy and acceptance.
“I think it’s so foolish for people to want to be happy. Happy is so momentary–you’re happy for an instant and then you start thinking again. Interest is the most important thing in life; happiness is temporary, but interest is continuous.”
Georgia O’Keeffe
https://ontheroadbookclub.com/
Georgia O’Keeffe transformed the way we understand the artistic endeavours of women. Her work was dramatic, full of colour and challenged the status quo. Recognized as the “Mother of American Modernism,” she was only twelve when she knew she would be an artist. And it seemed the universe complied with her wishes, orchestrating the experiences, the mentors and connections that pushed her vision forward. Known for her flower canvases and south-western landscapes, she became one of America’s most significant and successful artists.
Born in a Wisconsin farmhouse is 1887, she was a contemporary of Helen Keller (1880-1968), poet Edith Sitwell (1887-1964), writer Agatha Christie (1890 – 1976) and women’s activists Alice Paul (1885-1997) and Jeannette Rankin, (1880-1973).This was a time of opportunity for women, simply because they demanded a voice. Her journey from a small rural community to New York City to New Mexico is filled with a mixture of laughter, excitement, poignancy and acceptance.
“I think it’s so foolish for people to want to be happy. Happy is so momentary–you’re happy for an instant and then you start thinking again. Interest is the most important thing in life; happiness is temporary, but interest is continuous.”
Georgia O’Keeffe
https://ontheroadbookclub.com/
February 1, 2016
In preparation for a to Santa Fe I wanted to read a few books about New Mexico and, particularly, about Georgia O’Keeffe. My first biography was a flop, but this one was well researched, meticulous, and beautiful. The author talks about her life, her training as an artist and how in her time period women were not ever considered painters (or artists) and O’Keeffe had a lot of obstacles to overcome before she was considered either a painter or an artist. I found myself taking notes in the margins, underlining, and adding my own thoughts to an index card I used as a bookmark. O’Keeffe painted for decades and maintained her position as a premier modern artist from the 1920′s to her death in 1986 at age 98. i loved reading about her art, her creative process, her relationships, her politics, her feminist ideas, I loved it all. I think this book made a particularly keen impression on me as towards the tail end of my reading J-Mo and I visited her studio and ranch near Abiquiu, NM and the Georgia O’Keeffe museum in Santa Fe.
June 17, 2018
No matter what others may say about this book, no matter that Georgia O'Keeffe is an amazing artist and a groundbreaking independent woman before the word "feminist" had been coined, no matter what you may already know or not know about her - this book was tedious. The only reason I finished reading it was because it was for my book group. More like a term paper, a school report, or a newspaper article than a biography about what most people think of as a fascinating woman. She may have been fascinating, but that doesn't come across in this book. The writing style was all "tell" and little to no "show." And the few photos included were so disappointing. First: they were in black & white and second: they didn't include any paintings. How can you publish a book about art without any photos of the art? If you must read this because this is the only thing about O'Keeffe you could find, you'll want to read it with access to the internet to refer to all the paintings, people, landscapes, and photos that are mentioned.
January 9, 2011
God, I love my sister-in-law who digs around dark nooks and finds little gems like this. Then she shares them!
The last 1/3 of the book was a bit slow -- basically I think the author had trouble drumming up material on O'Keefe's life in New Mexico as the artist was ambivalent at best about this book being written and because, in NM, O'Keefe was no longer on the cultural radar the way she had been in New York, married to Alfred Stieglitz.
The author's writing style is nothing spectacular, but O'Keefe, to me, was a super appealing individual. Quirky, not always likable, with amazing talent, drive, and discipline. I loved finding out about her.
The last 1/3 of the book was a bit slow -- basically I think the author had trouble drumming up material on O'Keefe's life in New Mexico as the artist was ambivalent at best about this book being written and because, in NM, O'Keefe was no longer on the cultural radar the way she had been in New York, married to Alfred Stieglitz.
The author's writing style is nothing spectacular, but O'Keefe, to me, was a super appealing individual. Quirky, not always likable, with amazing talent, drive, and discipline. I loved finding out about her.
September 28, 2012
I dismissed O'Keeffe's work when I was much younger thinking it was all just flowers. I bought this book on a whim from a street vendor and it's taken me quite a while to read it. However, I am so immensely glad that I read it. I have so much admiration for O'Keeffe's personality and work ethic, brilliance, and independence now. She was so strong-willed at a time that it was not common for women to be so. Sincerely blown away. I am now genuinely interested in her complete body of work and has inspired me to keep working and creating. I also adore her pelvis bone series.
August 12, 2011
Non-fiction always takes me a long time to slog through, but I'm glad I stuck it out and finished this one. I read it in order to prepare for a new book I bought of letters between Georgia and Stieglitz and wanted to know more about her history and life before tackling those. She was an amazing woman - very often misunderstood and hard to get a long with - but she could have cared less. For her, it was all about the art.
July 24, 2011
O'Keefe lived for almost 100 years - nearly a third of the existence of the United States - and learning about her life, from the prarie to the South to New York and then to nearly 40 years Out West is a fascinating commentary on the very short history of this country...plus, she was way ahead of her time intellectually and I love her work!
September 27, 2010
The writing is not exactly engaging, but O'Keefe's story is incredibly inspiring and keeps you reading. I gave up half-way, but plan to pick this book up again one day if I feel up for slogging through Lisle's dissertation-like prose. Or maybe not.
September 3, 2012
The story is good, but the writing is dry.
October 24, 2014
Good writer, Great topic being Georgia O'Keeffe. Unknown to me I learned a great deal about Alfred Stieglitz and his photographs.
May 3, 2015
While Georgia O'Keeffe led a fairly interesting life, the writing style was not nearly so interesting.
June 16, 2022
Beautiful portrait. Readable, not bogged down in details but nicely covers both who she was and what her paintings expressed. I'd recommend it.
February 4, 2019
An interesting biography, but the narrator of the audio version mispronounced the names of people, places and things.
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