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!
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| Bella Donna with Pink Torch Ginger Bud, 1939 |
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| Cup of Silver Ginger, 1939 |
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| White Lotus, 1939 |
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| Hibiscus with Plumeria, 1939 |
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| Untitled (Hibiscus), 1939 |
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| Pink Ornamental Banana, 1939 |
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| Heliconia, 1939 |
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| White Bird of Paradise, 1939 |
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| Heliconia, Crab's Claw Ginger, 1939 |
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| Pineapple Bud, 1939 |
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| Waterfall No.1, lao Valley, Maui, 1939 |
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| Waterfall No. 2, lao Valley, Maui, 1939 |
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| Waterfall No. 3, lao Valley, Maui, 1939 |
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| 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.
