Property from the Estate of Betty Melaver, Savannah, GA

Description:

Georgia O'Keeffe (NM/NY, 1887-1986), Untitled (Texas Landscape), Watercolor, 1917, Listed as Item 196 in the Catalogue Raisonne, unsigned but listed in the catalogue raisonne as item 196. The entry on item 195 states 'This and cat. no. 196 have been associated with 1917 Pink and Green Mountain series O'Keeffe completed in Colorado in August 1917, see cat. nos. 218-225. Its forms, however, derive from landscape configurations in and around Palo Duro Canyon, near Canyon, Texas, where O'Keeffe lived from fall 1916 through 21 February 1918. See cat. nos. 196, 198.' The work bearing an Owings-Dewey Fine Art, Santa Fe, label verso, matted in a silvered frame. Frame size: 16 3/8 in. x 19 1/2 in. Provenance: Estate of the artist, 1986; Private collection, 1987 (Owings-Dewey Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico);Private collection, Savannah, Georgia, 1990. Exhibitions: 1977 San Francisco, no. 3; Savannah Collects exhibition, October 3, 2014-January 5, 2015, Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA.

Georgia O’Keeffe is perhaps best-known for her iconic, enlarged paintings of flowers. After moving to New Mexico, her subject matter, whether a far-reaching landscape or a cow skull, often related to the West. Her early watercolors, while not as well-known, may provide another perspective on a career with many well-known works. In 1916, the artist took a job as the chair of the art department at the West Texas State Normal College, in Canyon, Texas, where Pink and Green Mountains was created the following year. This watercolor easily demonstrates her facility with what is widely acknowledged as a very difficult medium. Known as the “mother of American modernism”, O’Keeffe has imbued the genre of traditional landscape with a twentieth-century vision, simplifying and abstracting forms. Modeling and shading, along with extraneous details, have been abandoned for areas of flat color. By 1918, the artist had returned to live in New York. Alfred Stieglitz, O’Keeffe’s dealer and future husband, encouraged her to move away from the medium of watercolor, fearful of its association with amateur women artists. This could help explain the limited number of watercolors executed during her career.

Measurements: Height: of paper 8 3/4 in. x Width: 12 in.

Condition:

Good condition, not viewed out of frame, paper toned, crease to upper and lower right corners. Mat with some staining, frame with some wear and scratches.