Name: How to see more and care less: The art of Georgia O'Keeffe - Iseult Gillespie
Uploaded: 2020-10-23T21:25:47.000Z
Duration: 5 min

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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

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

畫布浸在日落的色彩當中， 像火焰般放射光芒的顏色。

But a closer look reveals  the tender stems,

第一眼看來，這幅畫似乎是 不真實的抽象影像。

lush petals and velvety texture  of a Canna Lily.

但再近一點看， 會發現美人蕉的嫩莖、

This metamorphosis of natural subjects into abstract geometry

繁茂的瓣，及天鵝絨般的質感。

is commonplace in the work  of Georgia O'Keeffe—

這種將大自然題材 轉換為抽象幾何的質變，

the revolutionary American painter  and sculptor.

在喬治亞·歐姬芙的 作品中非常見到——

But the magic behind  this transformation remains

她是位革命性的 美國畫家和雕塑家。

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

和這位藝術家本人一樣難以捉摸。

歐姬芙於 1887 年在威斯康辛出生，

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

童年時常摘野花 和擺放水果，供畫畫用。

Her teachers trained her  to faithfully reproduce reality

十七歲時，她搬到芝加哥， 到著名的藝術學院進修。

Although she enjoyed the solitude  and precision of this work,

按照歐洲大師的慣例 忠實地再現現實。

O'Keeffe felt little  personal connection to it.

雖然歐姬芙很享受 這份工作的孤獨和精準，

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

但她卻幾乎感受不到 個人化的連結。

striking composition and vivid colors  of Japanese art.

O'Keeffe soon found a teacher  whose lessons inspired her

她越來越喜歡日本藝術的清晰線條、

令人注目的構圖，及生動的顏色。

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。

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

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

將光線、形狀、顏色 做更抽象的呈現。

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

這些課程化為歐姬芙的 第一個抽象畫系列。

這些作品用木炭繪製， 呈現出一系列起伏線、

These drawings defy easy classification—

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

這些繪畫公然挑戰 簡單的分類——

Earlier European painters  in the Cubist tradition

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。

had employed rigid geometry to abstract external subjects.

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

會把死板的幾何用在 抽象的外在主題上。

但在這裡，歐姬芙採用 大自然的形狀和節奏

Experiments like these  would soon become a cornerstone

of an artistic movement  called American Modernism.

Although no single style defines  Modernist painting,

「美國現代主義」 這項藝術運動的基石。

its proponents shared a desire  to challenge the realist traditions

雖然現代主義的畫作 無法用單一風格來定義，

但現代主義的倡導者都渴望挑戰

Beginning in the late 1910's,  Modernist painting

主導藝術教育的真實主義傳統。

often used geometric shapes  and bold colors

O'Keeffe threw herself  into these experiments —

but she was reluctant  to share her new work.

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

歐姬芙自己投身到這些實驗中——

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

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，

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

and a relationship that would lead  to marriage in 1924.

1916 年，他在紐約 安排了一場盛大的展覽。

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

歐姬芙變成知名藝術家的 職涯就此展開——

此時的一段關係， 也讓她在 1924 年結婚。

and often retreated to paint  for months at a time.

婚姻並沒有削減歐姬芙 喜愛孤獨的偏好。

Whether she was exploring  the craggy canyons of Texas,

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

且常常閉關隱居作畫， 一次就是好幾個月。

her creative process was based on  ritual and close observation.

不論她在探索的是德州的崎嶇峽谷、

She paid meticulous attention  to small details,

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

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

她的創作過程都立基在 儀式和仔細的觀察上。

in her ever-growing collection of handmade color cards.

O'Keeffe also experimented  with perspective to celebrate objects

且會花數小時的時間 只為了混合出對的顏色。

當她找到完美的顏色， 她便會用她的手工色卡

將之記錄下來，色卡越累積越多。

she places a weathered skull  and a delicate flower

This massive skull overshadows  the landscape,

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

底下是山丘，她還放了 一個已風乾的頭骨

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

及一朵精緻的花在山丘上方高處。

She was particularly praised  for her massive flower paintings,

ranging from fiery poppies  to ghostly calla lillies.

用新奇怪異的光線投射骷髏和山脈。

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

她的獨特觀點和神祕行為 讓大眾很著迷。

and were quick to link these paintings to female genitalia.

她特別受到讚揚的作品， 是數量很多的花朵畫作，

But O'Keeffe dismissed  such interpretations.

範圍從烈火般的罌粟花 到幽靈般的海芋都有。

She resented the male gaze  that dominated the art world,

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，

很快就把這些畫作 和女性生殖器拉上連結。

for its emotional evocation  of the natural world.

Eventually, O'Keeffe settled down  in New Mexico,

她憎惡藝術圈 都是由男性目光來主導，

near one of her favorite artist retreats.

並要求大家尊重她作品的特色：

讓觀眾在情緒上聯想到大自然。

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

最終，歐姬芙在新墨西哥定居，

O'Keeffe kept creating  until her death at 98,

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

七十多歲時，她的視力 開始漸漸不行了，

Decades on, her work retains  its wild energy—

但她用有觸感的新媒材 持續發掘風景的神秘之處。

在九十八歲辭世之前， 歐姬芙都不斷創作，