Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe

I gave this a three not because of interest because the life of Georgia OKeeffe is definitely interesting, but the writing is pretty straight forward - almost textbookish. Still, I learned much about an amazing, talented, and forceful woman. Georgia was born on a farm in Wisconsin, but after deciding that she wanted to be a painter at an early age, headed for New York City where her work became noticed and promoted by the photographer Alfred Stieglitz. They soon lived together and were eventually married.

Before that, however, Georgia spent time as an art teacher in Virginia and Texas. However, she always returned to Stieglitz. The relationship between a young female artist and a man much older than she was interesting and difficult. He show more controlled her, yet he promoted her. Their relationship lasted a lifetime and was one of seemingly deep love and devotion although they led vastly separate lives at times.

I was not aware of Georgia's work painting much of New York City. Her work in New Mexico is much more familiar. She was a strong woman with a great sense of herself; she knew what she wanted and culture, art critics, or her husband stood in the way. At the same time, she often found herself giving in to expectations especially of Stieglitz. She had many friends who supported her and who in turn she supported. At the same time, she could be extremely abrasive and rude.

Interesting person. show less

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 show more 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. show less

This biography of Georgia O'Keeffe comes highly recommended, based on the reviews I've seen. It certainly was voluminous and went into great detail about her day-to-day life. But I felt at times that the author bent over backwards to make O'Keeffe look stubborn, nasty, and self-centered, as opposed to individualistic and determined. Actually I'd use all five terms to describe her. It's the balance I wondered about.

Also, something I found disappointing about the book's formatting, the author chose to use endnotes (at the end of the book), rather than footnotes (on each page or at the end of each chapter). I didn't even realize the endnotes were there until I was already part way through the book. On the other hand, I'm not sure how show more useful they really are, considering that Ms. Lisle allowed many sources to be simply named as a source, leaving out what specifically they said about Ms. O'Keeffe. Not quite anonymous, but not attributed either. Why bother?

And one last point, although Georgia O'Keeffe's relationship with Juan Hamilton is discussed in the book's ending chapters, apparently, Mr. Hamilton was not used as a source. I'd guess he declined to be included. I think it's a very telling omission. An unfortunate one. show less

This is an interesting and detailed biography of Georgia O'Keeffe and the dramatic romance between the her much older mentor, lover, impresario, and husband, Alfred Stieglitz as they became the vanguard of early 20th Century modern art in America. There are really two parts to her life: breaking in the art scene that was not welcome to her style and sex and then a fiercely reclusive period of productivity and generosity in New Mexico.

good history of her background

O'Keeffe's personal mystique is as intriguing and enduring as her bold, brilliant canvases. Here is the first full 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.