How to see more and care less: The art of Georgia O'Keeffe - Iseult Gillespie

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Korom

A canvas drenched in sunset hues, colors radiating like flame.

Platno natopljeno nijansama zalaska sunca, boje koje zrače poput plamena.

At first glance, this painting may appear to be an impossible, abstract image.

Na prvi pogled, ova slika izgleda kao neizgledan, apstraktan prizor.

But a closer look reveals the tender stems,

Međutim, pažljiviji pogled otkriva krhke stabljike,

lush petals and velvety texture of a Canna Lily.

bujne latice i barušnastu teksturu indijske kane.

This metamorphosis of natural subjects into abstract geometry

Ovaj preobražaj prirodnih predmeta u apstraktnu geometriju

is commonplace in the work of Georgia O’Keeffe—

je opšte mesto u delu Džordžije O'Kif -

the revolutionary American painter and sculptor.

revolucionarne američke slikarke i skulptorke.

But the magic behind this transformation remains

Međutim, čarolija iza preobražaja ostaje

just as elusive as the artist herself.

jednako nedokučiva kao i sama umetnica.

Born in Wisconsin in 1887, O’Keeffe spent her childhood plucking wildflowers

Rođena u Viskonsinu 1887, O'Kif je provela detinjstvo berući poljsko cveće

and arranging fruits to paint.

i aranžirajući voće za slikanje.

At seventeen, she moved to Chicago to study at the prestigious Art Institute.

Sa 17 godina, preselila se u Čikago

kako bi studirala na prestižnom institutu za umetnost.

Her teachers trained her to faithfully reproduce reality

Njeni nastavnici su je obučili da verno reprodukuje stvarnost

in the conventions of European masters.

prema konvencijama evropskih majstora.

Although she enjoyed the solitude and precision of this work,

Iako je uživala u osamljenosti i preciznosti ovih dela,

O’Keeffe felt little personal connection to it.

O'Kif nije osećala ličnu povezanost s njima.

After moving to New York, she was increasingly drawn to the clean lines,

Nakon što se preselila u Njujork, sve su je više privlačile jasne linije,

striking composition and vivid colors of Japanese art.

upadljiva kompozicija i živopisne boje japanske umetnosti.

O’Keeffe soon found a teacher whose lessons inspired her

O'Kif je uskoro pronašla nastavnika čije su je lekcije inspirisale

to put those interests into practice.

da praktikuje svoja interesovanja.

Unlike her previous teachers,

Nasuprot njenim prethodnim nastavnicima,

Arthur Wesley Dow urged his students to focus on more abstract representations

Artur Vesli Dau je podsticao studente

da se fokusiraju na apstraktnije prikaze svetla, oblika i boje.

of light, shape, and color.

These lessons manifested in O’Keeffe’s first series of abstract drawings.

Ove lekcije se odražavaju u O'Kifinoj prvoj seriji apstraktnih crteža.

Rendered in charcoal, they present a series of undulating lines,

Nacrtani ugljenom, oni predstavljaju nizove pulsirajućih linija,

bold shading and billowing clouds.

odvažnog senčenja i talasastih oblaka.

These drawings defy easy classification—

Ovi crteži prkose lakim klasifikacijama -

suggesting, but never quite matching, any specific natural reference.

nagoveštavaju, nikad se ne podudarajući ni sa jednom određenom prirodnom pojavom.

Earlier European painters in the Cubist tradition

Raniji evropski slikari iz tradicije kubizma

had employed rigid geometry to abstract external subjects.

su primenjivali krutu geometriju na apstraktne spoljne objekte.

But here, O’Keeffe employed the shapes and rhythms of nature

Međutim, O'Kif je ovde primenjivala oblike i ritam prirode

to capture her internal feelings.

kako bi izrazila svoja unutrašnja osećanja.

Experiments like these would soon become a cornerstone

Slični eksperimenti će uskoro da postanu temelj

of an artistic movement called American Modernism.

umetničkog pokreta koji se naziva američki modernizam.

Although no single style defines Modernist painting,

Iako nijedan pojedinačni stil ne definiše modernističke slike,

its proponents shared a desire to challenge the realist traditions

njegove pristalice su delile strast ka suprotstavljanju tradiciji realizma

that dominated art education.

koja je dominirala umetničkim obrazovanjem.

Beginning in the late 1910’s, Modernist painting

Počevši kasnih 1910-ih, modernističke slike

often used geometric shapes and bold colors

su često koristile geometrijske oblike i odvažne boje

to probe the American psyche.

kako bi istraživale američku psihu.

O’Keeffe threw herself into these experiments —

O'Kif se prepustila ovim eksperimentima -

but she was reluctant to share her new work.

ali nije rado pokazivala svoja dela.

However, when a friend sent her charcoals to the art dealer Alfred Stieglitz,

No, kada je njen prijatelj poslao njene ugljene crteže

prodavcu umetnina Alfredu Štajglicu, on je bio očaran.

he became entranced.

In 1916, he arranged for a grand exhibition in New York.

Godine 1916, priredio je veliku izložbu u Njujorku.

This marked the beginning of O’Keeffe’s career as a popular artist—

Ovo označava početak O'Kifine karijere kao popularne umetnice -

and a relationship that would lead to marriage in 1924.

kao i veze koja će da dovede do braka 1924. godine.

Marriage didn’t diminish O’Keeffe’s taste for solitude.

Brak nije umanjio O'Kifinu naklonost ka samoći.

She travelled widely to teach,

Putovala je naširoko kako bi podučavala

and often retreated to paint for months at a time.

i često se mesecima osamljivala kako bi slikala.

Whether she was exploring the craggy canyons of Texas,

Bilo da je istraživala stenovite kanjone Teksasa,

the quiet forests of South Carolina, or the sun-bleached desert of New Mexico,

spokojne šume Južne Karoline ili izbledele pustinje Novog Meksika,

her creative process was based on ritual and close observation.

njen kreativni proces je bio baziran na ritualima i pažljivom posmatranju.

She paid meticulous attention to small details,

Obraćala je minucioznu pažnju na sitne detalje

and spent hours mixing paints to create exactly the right colors.

i provodila je sate mešajući boje kako bi dobila odgovarajuće nijanse.

When she found the perfect hue, she’d record it

Kada bi pronašla savršenu nijansu, zabeležila bi je

in her ever-growing collection of handmade color cards.

u svojoj rastućoj kolekciji ručno pravljenih kartica za boju.

O’Keeffe also experimented with perspective to celebrate objects

O'Kif je eksperimentisala i sa perspektivom kako bi slavila predmete

that were often overlooked.

koji su često zanemarivani.

In "Rams Head with Hollyhock,"

Na slici „Ovnova glava sa slezovačom”

she places a weathered skull and a delicate flower

smešta oronulu lobanju i nežni cvet

high above the hills below.

visoko iznad brda ispod njih.

This massive skull overshadows the landscape,

Ova ogromna lobanja zasenjuje pejzaž,

casting both the skeleton and the mountains in a new, eerie light.

bacajući novo jezivo svetlo kako na skelet tako i na planine.

The public was captivated by her unique perspective and secretive behavior.

Javnost je bila opčinjena

njenom jedinstvenom perspektivom i tajanstvenim držanjem.

She was particularly praised for her massive flower paintings,

Naročito je slavljena zbog ogromnih slika sa cvećem,

ranging from fiery poppies to ghostly calla lillies.

koje su varirale od vatrenih makova do sablaznih etiopskih kala.

Stieglitz and other critics of the time were infatuated by Freudian psychology,

Štajglic i drugi kritičari iz tog doba bili su zaluđeni Frojdovom psihologijom

and were quick to link these paintings to female genitalia.

i nisu oklevali da povežu ove slike sa ženskim genitalijama.

But O’Keeffe dismissed such interpretations.

Međutim, O'Kif je odbacivala takva tumačenja.

She resented the male gaze that dominated the art world,

Prezirala je muško stanovište koje je dominiralo svetom umetnosti

and demanded her work be respected

i zahtevala je da poštuju njeno delo

for its emotional evocation of the natural world.

zbog emocionalnih asocijacija na priordni svet.

Eventually, O’Keeffe settled down in New Mexico,

Naposletku, O'Kif se skrasila u Novom Meksiku,

near one of her favorite artist retreats.

u blizini jednog od njenih omiljenih umetničkih pribežišta.

In her 70’s, her eyesight began to fail,

U sedamdesetim, vid je počeo da je izdaje,

but she continued to mine the landscape’s mysteries in new, tactile mediums.

ali je nastavila da istražuje tajne pejzaža u novim, taktilnim medijima.

O’Keeffe kept creating until her death at 98,

O'Kif je stvarala sve do svoje smrti u 98. godini

and is remembered as the “Mother of American Modernism.”

i upamćena je kao „majka američkog modernizma.”

Decades on, her work retains its wild energy—

Decenijama kasnije, njeno delo čuva neobuzdanu energiju -

and O’Keeffe her personal mystique.

a O'Kif svoju tajanstvenu ličnost.