Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe by Dawn Tripp allowed me to learn more about an artist that I knew nothing more of than her name.
Tripp writes this novel in the first person, allowing O'Keeffe to narrate her own story.
She shares a bit of her childhood, but focuses mostly on her early career and her love affair and marriage to Alfred Stieglitz, who was more than twenty years older than her and married with a child when the two met. Stieglitz is credited with having discovered O'Keeffe and displaying her work in a gallery. He also photographed her nude, creating quite a stir.
Throughout Georgia, we see the ups and downs of their relationship and of her career which is taking off. As the novel unfolds we see the connection these two have, and also the struggles they have.
Her paintings are different than others, and she is famous for her artwork depicting flowers, skulls, and New Mexico landscapes. She came to known as the "Mother of American Modernism" and died in 1986 at the age of 98.
One of the best things historical fiction does is create a curiosity about a time period, a person, or the event that is being written about. Georgia intrigued me enough that I was busy reading everything I could find about Georgia O'Keeffe online and admiring her artwork as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment