Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This elegant illustrated book is an illuminating look at the life and work of celebrated American painter O'Keeffe. Visiting her in 1966 and '67 for a Life magazine feature, photojournalist Loengard photographed O'Keeffe at her two properties in the New Mexico desert doing everything except painting-a "photographic cliche" that O'Keeffe wanted to avoid. It turns out that these moments, which catch her sorting through boxes of bones and snake rattles or walking in the desert with her dogs in tow, tell us plenty about O'Keeffe and her work. The book pairs Loengard's photos with selected O'Keeffe paintings, either because the painting appears in the photo or because the photo's composition mirrors the painting's. In either case, the side-by-side presentation affords a rich viewing experience that elevates appreciation of both. One caveat: the only text is contained in a few pages of introductory material, short bios of each artist and some quotes from O'Keeffe scattered throughout. Despite a lack of analysis, those looking to learn more about O'Keeffe should relish the opportunity to step inside her world, and the sheer beauty of the book makes it a happy find for anyone looking to add an attractive volume to their collection. (Feb.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Review by Library Journal Review
This book combines color reproductions of Georgia O'Keeffe's (1887-1986) paintings with nearly 50 black-and-white photographs of O'Keeffe herself in New Mexico, taken by Life magazine photographer Loengard (Pictures Under Discussion) in 1966 and 1967. A selection of the photographs from that shoot was published in Life in 1968, and a fuller selection was published in the 1995 monograph Georgia O'Keeffe at Ghost Ranch. If the photos here portraying the stark New Mexican scenery and the equally stark aesthetic of the artist are any indication, O'Keeffe owned nothing that was not selected for the simplicity of its design, from her houses to her dresses. Other artists tend to show workspaces full of clutter, experiments, and piles of dried-out paint tubes, but O'Keeffe, who declined to be photographed while painting, seemed to want to project an overall controlled vision of her life and art. Her paintings, seen in this context, reflect the virtues of her life-simple lines, limited color, even the still lifes reflecting the harsh landscape. Recommended for photography collections lacking the 1995 Loengard monograph and for libraries where there is a demand for books about O'Keeffe.-Amy K. Weiss, Univ. of California Lib., Santa Barbara (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
