This is a painting called Only One by Georgia O’keeffe. It was made in 1959, its medium is oil on canvas with measurements of 36 by 30 1/8 inches. Originally, this work of art is located in the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. In first instance this painting doesn’t transmit any recognizable shape, but if it is analyzed further it can create in your mind different compositions. The colors that give live to this painting are blue, dark orange, dark brown, brown, and a deep fuchsia. A clue that can help to interpret this painting is its name, Only One.
Most of Georgia O’keeffe’s paintings are oil on cavans, and this painting is not the exception. In this painting it seems that she used three different types of brush strokes or probably more. The first brush stroke it seems that it was use on the line that divides the whole composition, it seems that she used a semicircular stroke to give an effect of cloudy that eventually diminishes at the end. The second brush stroke, it seems that she used a glazing stroke. It looks like she used this brush stroke to paint over the first color to make it look like a combination of the two colors. The third brush stroke, it seems that she used a smooth stroke to paint parts of the composition that needed solid colors.
In this painting it seems that some parts of the composition were drawn first and others were composed later by painting. It doesn’t seem as she had a specific composition when she started to paint it. Many of her paintings have a defined figure, but in this painting is hard to recognize any figure. There are four shapes in this painting, one the looks like a blade, another one that looks like a mountain with a sharp tip, another one that looks like a broad line, and one that it hardly looks like a face profile. There is not way to see if this painting has any particular organization or arrangement of its composition that only way we know how the painting is presented is because thats how Georgia O’keeffe presented this painting.
This painting has six central colors blue, dark orange, dark brown, brown, pink, and deep fuchsia. There are other colors that they seem they were created by mixing the central colors, such as dark violet, and midnight blue. Its color intensity is a contrast of dark and light colors, dark colors such as dark brown and midnight blue, and light colors such as pink, blue and, deep fuchsia. The whole composition of color it creates a mood of curiosity about the painting. It seems that Georgia O’keeffe painted first the whole composition with dark orange then she started to apply the other colors. A reason why it seems that she painted the whole composition first with dark orange is the degree of colors when she added the others colors over. A clearly example of this is the line the divides the painting which was painted with dark brown and it can be seen orange as a background.
In the year that this work of art was painted, Georgia O’keeffe visited many countries as a way to experience and see new material. While she was traveling in the plane she was inspired by rivers, clouds, landscapes from the perspective of the air. Therefore, personally this painting looks like the sky where the different figures in this painting can be interpreted by clouds of color. When we see the clouds in the sky they can be seen to take some type of shapes, but this painting has its own design clouds that when their look closer it creates in your mind whatever shape you see.
Besides the arrangement of color and its figures, there is the painting’s name. Its name evokes curiosity, what is the reason that the painting is called Only One. Personally, this painting can be dedicated or connected to her deceased spouse. When the painting is flip to the right we can see at the right upper corner a face profile, and even more interesting is the part where it looks like a mountain. In this part where it kind looks like a mountain we can see a heart and inside of it we can see a very small face really hard to recognize if is not analyzed closer. Furthermore, if the painting is flip upside down at the right bottom side we can see another face profile but in a different position. The same happens in the part where it looks like a mountain, it seems like there were painted many small hearts, but they are difficult to identify. By seen this factors about the painting and relating it with its name it could be dedicated to her only one love Alfred Stieglitz.
This painting provokes curiosity because when we see it at first we don’t see anything but after being analyzed and go over every detail, it gives a different perspective. Although Georgia O’keeffe said that her paintings don’t contain any meaning, I think they do.
Most of Georgia O’keeffe’s paintings are oil on cavans, and this painting is not the exception. In this painting it seems that she used three different types of brush strokes or probably more. The first brush stroke it seems that it was use on the line that divides the whole composition, it seems that she used a semicircular stroke to give an effect of cloudy that eventually diminishes at the end. The second brush stroke, it seems that she used a glazing stroke. It looks like she used this brush stroke to paint over the first color to make it look like a combination of the two colors. The third brush stroke, it seems that she used a smooth stroke to paint parts of the composition that needed solid colors.
In this painting it seems that some parts of the composition were drawn first and others were composed later by painting. It doesn’t seem as she had a specific composition when she started to paint it. Many of her paintings have a defined figure, but in this painting is hard to recognize any figure. There are four shapes in this painting, one the looks like a blade, another one that looks like a mountain with a sharp tip, another one that looks like a broad line, and one that it hardly looks like a face profile. There is not way to see if this painting has any particular organization or arrangement of its composition that only way we know how the painting is presented is because thats how Georgia O’keeffe presented this painting.
This painting has six central colors blue, dark orange, dark brown, brown, pink, and deep fuchsia. There are other colors that they seem they were created by mixing the central colors, such as dark violet, and midnight blue. Its color intensity is a contrast of dark and light colors, dark colors such as dark brown and midnight blue, and light colors such as pink, blue and, deep fuchsia. The whole composition of color it creates a mood of curiosity about the painting. It seems that Georgia O’keeffe painted first the whole composition with dark orange then she started to apply the other colors. A reason why it seems that she painted the whole composition first with dark orange is the degree of colors when she added the others colors over. A clearly example of this is the line the divides the painting which was painted with dark brown and it can be seen orange as a background.
In the year that this work of art was painted, Georgia O’keeffe visited many countries as a way to experience and see new material. While she was traveling in the plane she was inspired by rivers, clouds, landscapes from the perspective of the air. Therefore, personally this painting looks like the sky where the different figures in this painting can be interpreted by clouds of color. When we see the clouds in the sky they can be seen to take some type of shapes, but this painting has its own design clouds that when their look closer it creates in your mind whatever shape you see.
Besides the arrangement of color and its figures, there is the painting’s name. Its name evokes curiosity, what is the reason that the painting is called Only One. Personally, this painting can be dedicated or connected to her deceased spouse. When the painting is flip to the right we can see at the right upper corner a face profile, and even more interesting is the part where it looks like a mountain. In this part where it kind looks like a mountain we can see a heart and inside of it we can see a very small face really hard to recognize if is not analyzed closer. Furthermore, if the painting is flip upside down at the right bottom side we can see another face profile but in a different position. The same happens in the part where it looks like a mountain, it seems like there were painted many small hearts, but they are difficult to identify. By seen this factors about the painting and relating it with its name it could be dedicated to her only one love Alfred Stieglitz.
This painting provokes curiosity because when we see it at first we don’t see anything but after being analyzed and go over every detail, it gives a different perspective. Although Georgia O’keeffe said that her paintings don’t contain any meaning, I think they do.