Art Essay #1

Georgia O'Keefe "Flowers of Fire"

I chose this piece because it reflects one of the roles of art in daily life. This painting is of a relatively ordinary object, a flower, magnified enormously. The concept is very simple, but that is what gives the painting its significance. In my opinion, one of the roles of art is to examine not only the spectacular parts of life but to demonstrate the significance of the ordinary things that are often overlooked.

Georgia O'Keefe claimed that she made her paintings very large in hopes of catching the attention of busy city dwellers. This particular painting depicts a large flower but also echoes a fire. The center of the flower resembles the blazing heart of a fire with tendrils of blue and white smoke curling upward. The yellow and red petals mimic flickering flames. The curling petals draw the eye toward the white center of the painting. The vivid colors and energy suggest movement and energy. These components combine to grab the viewer almost forcing them to stop and look.

One of the most important roles of the artist is to draw those who see their art to see another perspective and gain new ideas about their own lives. A work like this celebrates the importance and drama of simple things seen on a daily basis. Who hasn't walked by scarlet flowers? How many people can honestly say that they have never looked at a flame? But how many have compared the interior of a blossom with a living blaze? Who looks at the blue streaks along the inside of a flower and sees smoke? That is one of the most important parts of being an artist, the capacity to see the marvelous within the mundane and to show this beauty to others.

The greatness of this painting is not only in the idea that inspired it but also in how it was captured for viewing. Georgia O'Keefe used technical skill to transfer her vision to the tangible world. She took her vision and packaged it in art for the public to consume. Packaging ideas and presenting them in a manner that can be understood is one of the great powers of art. The metaphors created by the artist work their way into the viewer. I saw this painting dozens of times on my bedroom wall before I realized that it was echoing fire. I had admired the colors, and wondered why she used dark violet where she did. Finally, I saw it as a flower made of fire and the the violet was curling smoke. Now, I cannot see it without thinking of a flame. The idea of blazing flowers is hard to lose and I wonder if by April I will look at a bed of tulips and find myself thinking of smoke.

-Laurel Powell