Georgia O'Keeffe: Visions Of Hawaii At The New York Botanical Garden

Happy New Year, all!  We're going to file this post under "better late than never".  Last summer, a friend and I road tripped up to the Bronx to see Georgia O'Keeffe's Visions Of Hawaii exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden.  Georgia was hired by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company to spend nine weeks in Hawaii creating paintings of the local flora and fauna to be used as ads by the company.  (Seriously, how can I get a gig like this??)  The results were amazing.  The paintings are so colorful and beautiful.  Looking at them is like being transported to Hawaii.

The grounds of NYBG are beautiful.  A true oasis in the middle of New York City.

After a beautiful walk through the grounds, we got to the exhibition.

And now, the paintings!

Bella Donna with Pink Torch Ginger Bud, 1939

Cup of Silver Ginger, 1939

White Lotus, 1939

Hibiscus with Plumeria, 1939

Untitled (Hibiscus), 1939

Pink Ornamental Banana, 1939

Heliconia, 1939

White Bird of Paradise, 1939

Heliconia, Crab's Claw Ginger, 1939

Pineapple Bud, 1939

Waterfall No.1, lao Valley, Maui, 1939

Waterfall No. 2, lao Valley, Maui, 1939

Waterfall No. 3, lao Valley, Maui, 1939

Waterfall, End of Road, lao Valley, Maui, 1939

I love so many of these, but my personal favorites are the Pink Ornamental Banana and the Waterfall, End of Road.  Some of these paintings were done back in New York City, but many of them were done while in Hawaii.  As someone who is an incredibly slow painter, I'm always amazed when an artist can accomplish so much in a limited period of time.


After the exhibition was over, there was a room set up with maps and other cool memorabilia relating to the trip and the paintings.

I always wonder about things like the telegram.  I wonder if Georgia could have ever imagined that it would one day be part of an art exhibition.

As you can see, this exhibit was huge and it's not done yet.  In addition to the art, the NYBG had a collection of plants and flowers that inspired Georgia O'Keeffe on her trip.  I'll have those for you in my next post.

I hope you enjoyed this look into one of the most interesting shows I've seen in quite some time.

Mauritshuis Museum On Instagram Stories

The Mauritshuis houses an amazing collection of Dutch and Flemish art from the Golden Age.  I've not been lucky enough to visit the Netherlands yet, but you know it is on my list, and the Mauritshuis will be one of my first stops.  I am a huge fan of Dutch and Flemish art and have been very influenced by the Golden Age painters in my own work.

Until I can get there in person, I happily follow their Instagram account.  Recently, they had a great Insta Story showing the details of a beautiful painting, Forest Floor Still Life With Fruit And A Wicker Basket Of Flowers, by Abraham Mignon.

I have never saved photos from an Insta Story before, but I loved this painting so much that I took screen shots so I could study it further, and I thought you guys might like to see them as well.

This is really one of the most beautiful paintings I have ever seen.  It has everything.  Flowers, fruit, insects.  All of the things that make the Dutch paintings so amazing.  I've been studying these shots since they were posted and will continue to do so.

One of the amazing things about Instagram is being able to see art from around the world.  If you love Dutch and Flemish art as much as I do, give the Mauritshuis a follow.

Mauritshuis
The Hague, Netherlands

A Visit To The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

On my recent visit to Santa Fe, visiting the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum was at the top of my list of places to see.  I've seen O'Keeffe's work in various museums, but I had never seen a complete exhibition of her work, so it was very interesting to see so much of it in one place.

As I'm still typing with one hand, I'm just going to post the paintings, but if you would like the title of a specific painting, leave me a comment and I'll post it there.

I've always been a fan of the floral paintings.  The prevailing wisdom over the years is that they are representing vaginas, even making it into a Breaking Bad episode.  However, I just happened upon an article in The Guardian regarding the 2016 O'Keefe show at the Tate Modern, stating that the reference to female genitalia came from Alfred Stieglitz, not from O'Keeffe herself, and that she always denied that there was a sexual component to the paintings.

If you are ever in Santa Fe, don't miss seeing this museum.  Not only is it filled with beautiful artwork, but I must give a shout out to the staff.  Everyone from the ladies at the reception desk to the security guards could not have been nicer or more helpful.  Since that is not always the case here in New York, it was a nice change.  They also have lockers available, so you don't have to schlep your stuff all over the museum.

Hope you enjoyed seeing these paintings.  I'll have more Santa Fe photos coming soon.


UPDATE:  I forgot one of my favorite pics, Georgia's paintbox!