One of the most significant and revolutionary artists, the painter Georgia O’Keeffe rose to prominence for her stylized renditions of New York cityscapes, New Mexico landscapes, and imposingpaintings of flowers in bloom.
O’Keeffe was one of the first female artists to achieve worldwide critical acclaim for her constantly evolving modernist style. While she experimented with abstract painting, she is remembered primarily for her magnified depictions of plant life and the outdoors, a theme that preoccupied her for the entirety of her career.
The painter’s influence on subsequent generations of unapologetic artists cannot be overstated. Not just in terms of her creative influence, but also for her trailblazing status as one of the first global female art stars. She remains the most expensive female artist at auction; two years ago, her painting Jimson Weed/White Flower no.1 selling for $44.4 million at Sotheby’sNew York.
In honor of Georgia O’Keeffe’s birthday and her enduring legacy, we’ve compiled 10 amazing quotes from the great American modernist.
Georgia O’Keeffe Jimson Weed, White Flower No. 1(1932). Courtesy of Tate Britain.
On being an artist
“I had it in my head, well, I couldn’t have been 12…that I was going to be a painter.”
On being a woman
“I feel there is something unexplored about women that only a woman can explore.”
On doing what you want
“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life—and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.”
On being courageous
“To create one’s world in any of the arts takes courage.”
On success
“You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare.”
On being yourself
“I know now that most people are so closely concerned with themselves that they are not aware of their own individuality, I can see myself, and it has helped me to say what I want to say in paint.”
On developing her style
“I decided to start anew, to strip away what I had been taught.”
On landscapes
“It was all so far away—there was quiet and an untouched feel to the country and I could work as I pleased.”
On making statements
“I often painted fragments of things because it seemed to make my statement as well as or better than the whole could.”
On flowers
“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.”
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FAQs
Interest is the most important thing in life; happiness is temporary, but interest is continuous.” • “To create one's own world, in any of the arts, takes courage.” • “Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous. And after singing, I think the violin.
Who said to see takes time? ›
“To see takes time,” Georgia O'Keeffe once wrote. Best known for her flower paintings, O'Keeffe (1887–1986) also made extraordinary series of works in charcoal, pencil, watercolor, and pastel.
What is the quote paint flowers? ›
"I paint flowers so they will not die."
Who was the founder of Georgia quote? ›
James Oglethorpe: His Founding Words
James Oglethorpe quote. "The air is healthy, being always ferene, pleafant, and temperate, never subject to exceffive heat or cold, nor to sudden changes. the winter is regular and short and the summer cooled with refreshing breezes.
Who said if I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint? ›
…so said Edward Hopper, one of my favourite painters of the last century.
What was Georgia O Keeffe's nickname? ›
Called the "Mother of American modernism", O'Keeffe gained international recognition for her meticulous paintings of natural forms, particularly flowers and desert-inspired landscapes, which were often drawn from and related to places and environments in which she lived.
When was Georgia O Keeffe's birthday? ›
Georgia O'Keeffe (born November 15, 1887, near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, U.S.—died March 6, 1986, Santa Fe, New Mexico) was an American painter who was among the most influential figures in Modernism, best known for her large-format paintings of natural subjects, especially flowers and bones, and for her depictions of ...
What was Georgia O Keeffe's headache? ›
According to the tag next to one of them, O'Keeffe told a friend it was the “drawing of a headache,” a “very bad headache at the time that I was busy drawing every night, sitting on the floor in front of the closet door.” Special No. 9 (1915), charcoal on paper.
Who said time precious? ›
"Time is precious. Waste it wisely." - K. Bromberg | Inspiring quotes about life, Words, Quote aesthetic.
What is Georgia O Keeffe's personality? ›
As an ISFP, Georgia tends to be creative, unconventional, and empathetic. Georgia generally has a strong grasp of their senses and often has very vivid memories.
What I have witnessed reminds me of a quote from Disney's “Mulan”: “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.”
What did Van Gogh say about flowers? ›
“Normality is a Paved road, It is Comfortable to walk on; But no flowers grow on it.”
Does Emma Watson paint? ›
I have always liked doing art and I create things at home as well as at The Community Art Project. I like doing different things and I have tried drawing, painting, clay, photography, printing and digital art. It makes me happy if people say nice things about my pictures.
What is Georgia O Keeffe best known for? ›
Who is she and what is she famous for? Born in 1887, Georgia O'Keeffe was an American artist who painted nature in a way that showed how it made her feel. She is best known for her paintings of flowers and desert landscapes.
What was Andy Warhol's most famous quote? ›
“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”
What did Georgia O Keeffe's paintings mean? ›
"It now seems abundantly clear that, in spite of her vehement denials, O'Keeffe meant some of her paintings (not just the flowers) to look vagin*l," Randall writes. "Works such as Abstraction Seaweed and Water - Maine and Flower Abstraction overtly allude to female genitalia." This seems quaint in our current age.
What was Georgia O Keeffe's legacy? ›
Accomplishments. O'Keeffe incorporated the techniques of other artists and was especially influenced by Paul Strand's use of cropping in his photographs; she was one of the first artists to adapt the method to painting by rendering close-ups of uniquely American objects that were highly detailed yet abstract.
