Georgia O'Keeffe

We recently discovered abstract art and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Georgia O'Keeffe was a phenomenal artist. She overcame self-doubt and produced artwork that was new, exciting and remains among the most important in modern art history. 

I haven't come across information that discusses her self-doubt, but as a human being and a woman, I think I can infer a few things.

1. O'Keeffe wondered if she was a "raving lunatic" for creating her early abstract works. This is a charcoal series that comprised her first independent art show at 291. She was doing something new and she herself wasn't sure how it would be received. 
2. O'Keeffe was a woman. She explained how all the men had painted New York City and that they couldn't even do it right. What was she, a woman going to do? In other words, what could she possibly offer the art world? O'Keeffe had to find the confidence and empowerment within herself to say that she had something unique and worthwhile to offer the world. That is NOT an easy thing. Overcoming the doubts of the professionals around you? You try it...
3. Georgia O'Keeffe did not particularly care for the confines of the city. She was limited by a confined landscape. From what I can gather she remained in the city to be with her husband, Stieglitz. She prefered the open, empty landscape of the desert, bringing pieces of it with her to paint. Still, she found a way to explore her setting. Instead of being sullen, she embraced her art. This may not have been a huge challenge. Many artists will tell you: art is like a disease. You have no choice but to create it. 
4. Prior to her arrival in the art scene, Stieglitz had photographed O'Keeffe hundreds of times. Many of these photographs were nudes. When O'Keeffe's abstract flowers debuted, people associated them with the sexuality of her portraits. She found this frustrating and incorporated more realism into her style. She continued to paint in the abstract, but could not shake the sexual stigma that came with her work. 

The O'Keeffe Museum offers an online collection of O'Keeffe's work. If you browse by date, you can watch her work evolve. She begins as a child in school, learning about value and form. She then learns realism, something she later rejects. You can see the work as it was influenced by Arthur Dow and as it finally evolves into its ultimate expression. This is a fantastic resource and I encourage any fans to explore.