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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

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

畫布浸在日落的色彩當中， 像火焰般放射光芒的顏色。

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

第一眼看來，這幅畫似乎是 不真實的抽象影像。

But a closer look reveals the tender stems,

但再近一點看， 會發現美人蕉的嫩莖、

lush petals and velvety texture of a Canna Lily.

繁茂的瓣，及天鵝絨般的質感。

This metamorphosis of natural subjects into abstract geometry

這種將大自然題材 轉換為抽象幾何的質變，

is commonplace in the work of Georgia O’Keeffe—

在喬治亞·歐姬芙的 作品中非常見到——

the revolutionary American painter and sculptor.

她是位革命性的 美國畫家和雕塑家。

But the magic behind this transformation remains

但，這種轉換背後的魔力仍然

just as elusive as the artist herself.

和這位藝術家本人一樣難以捉摸。

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

歐姬芙於 1887 年在威斯康辛出生，

童年時常摘野花 和擺放水果，供畫畫用。

and arranging fruits to paint.

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

十七歲時，她搬到芝加哥， 到著名的藝術學院進修。

Her teachers trained her to faithfully reproduce reality

她的老師訓練她

按照歐洲大師的慣例 忠實地再現現實。

in the conventions of European masters.

Although she enjoyed the solitude and precision of this work,

雖然歐姬芙很享受 這份工作的孤獨和精準，

O’Keeffe felt little personal connection to it.

但她卻幾乎感受不到 個人化的連結。

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

在搬到紐約之後，

她越來越喜歡日本藝術的清晰線條、

striking composition and vivid colors of Japanese art.

令人注目的構圖，及生動的顏色。

O’Keeffe soon found a teacher whose lessons inspired her

歐姬芙很快就找到了一位老師， 鼓勵她將那些興趣化為實做。

to put those interests into practice.

Unlike her previous teachers,

跟她以前的老師不同，

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

亞瑟·衛斯理·道 鼓勵學生把焦點放在

將光線、形狀、顏色 做更抽象的呈現。

of light, shape, and color.

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

這些課程化為歐姬芙的 第一個抽象畫系列。

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

這些作品用木炭繪製， 呈現出一系列起伏線、

bold shading and billowing clouds.

大膽的明暗，以及波狀雲。

These drawings defy easy classification—

這些繪畫公然挑戰 簡單的分類——

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

它們有所暗示，卻始終沒有 完全符合任何特定的大自然景物。

Earlier European painters in the Cubist tradition

早期的歐洲立體派畫家

had employed rigid geometry to abstract external subjects.

會把死板的幾何用在 抽象的外在主題上。

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

但在這裡，歐姬芙採用 大自然的形狀和節奏

to capture her internal feelings.

來捕捉她的內在感受。

Experiments like these would soon become a cornerstone

這種實驗很快就變成了

of an artistic movement called American Modernism.

「美國現代主義」 這項藝術運動的基石。

Although no single style defines Modernist painting,

雖然現代主義的畫作 無法用單一風格來定義，

its proponents shared a desire to challenge the realist traditions

但現代主義的倡導者都渴望挑戰

主導藝術教育的真實主義傳統。

that dominated art education.

Beginning in the late 1910’s, Modernist painting

從 1910 年代末期開始，

現代主義的畫作就經常使用

often used geometric shapes and bold colors

幾何形狀和大膽的顏色，

to probe the American psyche.

來探究美國人的精神。

O’Keeffe threw herself into these experiments —

歐姬芙自己投身到這些實驗中——

but she was reluctant to share her new work.

但她並不願意分享她新作。

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

然而一位朋友將她的木炭畫寄給 藝術商人阿爾弗雷德·史蒂格利茲，

he became entranced.

他便深深著迷。

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

1916 年，他在紐約 安排了一場盛大的展覽。

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

歐姬芙變成知名藝術家的 職涯就此展開——

and a relationship that would lead to marriage in 1924.

此時的一段關係， 也讓她在 1924 年結婚。

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

婚姻並沒有削減歐姬芙 喜愛孤獨的偏好。

She travelled widely to teach,

她四處旅行去教學，

and often retreated to paint for months at a time.

且常常閉關隱居作畫， 一次就是好幾個月。

Whether she was exploring the craggy canyons of Texas,

不論她在探索的是德州的崎嶇峽谷、

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

南卡羅萊納州的安靜森林，

或新墨西哥烈日高照的沙漠，

her creative process was based on ritual and close observation.

她的創作過程都立基在 儀式和仔細的觀察上。

She paid meticulous attention to small details,

她非常注意小細節，

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

且會花數小時的時間 只為了混合出對的顏色。

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

當她找到完美的顏色， 她便會用她的手工色卡

in her ever-growing collection of handmade color cards.

將之記錄下來，色卡越累積越多。

O’Keeffe also experimented with perspective to celebrate objects

歐姬芙也實驗嘗試

去讚頌通常被忽略的物體。

that were often overlooked.

In "Rams Head with Hollyhock,"

在「公羊頭與蜀葵」中，

she places a weathered skull and a delicate flower

底下是山丘，她還放了 一個已風乾的頭骨

high above the hills below.

及一朵精緻的花在山丘上方高處。

This massive skull overshadows the landscape,

這個巨大的頭骨遮蔽了風景，

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

用新奇怪異的光線投射骷髏和山脈。

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

她的獨特觀點和神祕行為 讓大眾很著迷。

She was particularly praised for her massive flower paintings,

她特別受到讚揚的作品， 是數量很多的花朵畫作，

ranging from fiery poppies to ghostly calla lillies.

範圍從烈火般的罌粟花 到幽靈般的海芋都有。

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

史蒂格利茲和其他當時的評論家 沉迷於佛洛依德的心理學，

and were quick to link these paintings to female genitalia.

很快就把這些畫作 和女性生殖器拉上連結。

But O’Keeffe dismissed such interpretations.

但歐姬芙不同意這種詮釋。

She resented the male gaze that dominated the art world,

她憎惡藝術圈 都是由男性目光來主導，

and demanded her work be respected

並要求大家尊重她作品的特色：

for its emotional evocation of the natural world.

讓觀眾在情緒上聯想到大自然。

Eventually, O’Keeffe settled down in New Mexico,

最終，歐姬芙在新墨西哥定居，

near one of her favorite artist retreats.

很接近她最愛的隱居地之一。

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

七十多歲時，她的視力 開始漸漸不行了，

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

但她用有觸感的新媒材 持續發掘風景的神秘之處。

O’Keeffe kept creating until her death at 98,

在九十八歲辭世之前， 歐姬芙都不斷創作，

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

後世都記得這位 「美國現代主義之母」。

Decades on, her work retains its wild energy—

數十年後，她的作品仍然 保有其狂野的能量——

and O’Keeffe her personal mystique.

歐姬芙也仍然保有她的個人神祕感。