Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia's Faraway
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A trip to New Mexico during the summer of 1929 with a friend would change Georgia O'Keeffe's life and perspective for good. She was fascinated with the landscape, architecture, and surroundings. The land inspired a great deal of her paintings with crosses and bones set against stark backdrops. When asked about the crosses she said, "Anyone who doesn't feel the crosses simply doesn't get that country."
She returned to New Mexico every summer until the death of her husband in 1946. While there, she would travel by car on the back roads. She removed the back seat of the car, unbolted the front seat and flipped it around so she could support her canvas in order to paint.
In 1945, she bought an old house into which she moved into permanently in 1949, after Stieglitz's death and settling of his New York estate. The house itself was the subject of numerous paintings including Black Patio Door and Patio with Cloud (1955 and 1956 respectively). Many of her paintings during the 60's were large-scale patterns of landscapes and clouds seen from the air. One of her largest paintings or murals created was done in 1965. It was a large, 24-foot mural called Sky Above Clouds IV.
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O'Keeffe was much more at home here than in New York. She felt like she belonged and was part of the scenery. One time, while looking for inspiration in the landscape, Terry Williams relates this story from his 1994 book "An Unspoken Hunger". Once, in a canyon bottom, she was so enthralled by the sight that she laid her head back Coyote-fashion and howled at the sky, terrifying her companions nearby who feared she was injured. "I can't help it — it's all so beautiful," was her response.
Perhaps it is fitting that a museum dedicated to her work and memory stands in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where many of her works are part of the permanent collection. She called the land “her land” and referred to it as "the faraway" because you could see forever.