At the Museum Fodazione Roma in Palazzo Cipolla is hosted an exibition of works of Georgia O’Keeffe in collaboration with the Museum in Santa Fe.
The exhibition follows Giorgia O’Keeffe activity from the early abstract paintings ( Abstraction with curve and circle, 1915-169 when she was teaching in South Carolina, going through the enormous flowers from 20’s , 30’s and 40?s till the late period, from the 70’s on when she turns back to big abstract compositions.
Part of the spaces are set up as referred at the time and space environments where O’Keeffe was living while working at the paintings exposed in that the hall.
So, the first one is referred to New York at the beginning of the XX th century , where Giorgia went in 1918 following the advice of Alfred Steglitz, the famous photographer.
Next space is that of Steglitz family on the lake surrounded by trees.
It’s the period when the relation with Steglitz becomes closer culminating with their marriage in 1924
O’Keefe starts painting only in oil choosing as subject large flowers, taken from above, bringing out their very essence and changing the way one usually looks at a flower.
They are bold, vivid, “fleshy”. These works bring enormous success.
Always attracted to New Mexico where she took home the 30’s and where she remained until the end of his days, Giorgia O’Keeffe paints what her eyes saw: landscapes, trees and plants that took a kind of blurred color, as covered by an iridescent powder.
Her intrest is attracted by the round stones in strong colors that holds in her own studio and often paints or draws. Another interest are the bones, particulalry a horse skull, that she paints various ways . In exhibition a allegorical composition that despite the skull is optimistic, as its title “Summer Days” says.
Throughout the exhibition there are several corners dedicated to photography: anonymous, Georgia’s and Steglitz’, with portraits of the painter and friends.