Juan Stroop
Art Analysis
Visual Literacy
Tuesday Thursday - 4pm
Essay
10/21/04
Can the sensations of one sense be experienced by another? We know that taste and smell are related, but can a taste be translated into a sound? Can a smell become a texture? As a visual art form, paintings have traditionally been restricted to representing the visual, our sense of sight. A conventional artist would have been stumped by the notion of painting the smell of fresh apple pie without incorporating some symbol of a fruit pastry. Even today, the concept would seem impossible to most people. However in the early 1900’s, one of the most well known female painters created a small series of pieces that explored this concept.
Georgia O’Keeffe spent much of her career painting desert landscapes, and became famous for her close-up flower portraits. However, out of all her work, my personal favorite has always been Music: Pink and Blue II. Her use of colors and form is aesthetically pleasing without distracting from the concept of the piece, once the viewer interprets it. It occurs that only an abstract painting could allow the expression of any experience through visual media. Having studied abstract painting, O’Keeffe composed this work to visually illustrate what was once only an audible event.
To understand the relationship between the piece and the subject matter, we must understand the values the subject has. Without this perspective, the title itself is the only real reference to music. O’Keeffe used no symbols of steps, quarter notes, or pianos. Instead she chose to visually describe the feeling music creates. She investigates its contours, texture, and depth by comparing them with visual art. In this way, her work is truly unique in its composition and expression.
At a first glance, I found the painting to resemble a rainbow-colored peach pit. The rounded shape taking up the majority of the image comes to two nearly sharp points near the center. From these lips one might see a large fish head with an enormous blue eye. However, upon inspection of this eye, it becomes apparent that this circular form is not of seed or sea. It is more of a loop with a light, yellowish concave interior that wraps around within itself. What could be signified by this ambiguous form?
By observing the organic forms in the work, its correlation with music becomes more evident. The overlapping ripples and waves seem to echo the rhythms and patterns of music. The shapes curve creating a tempo of repetition and a continuous flow. The resulting loop illustrates music as it opens and blossoms, but also how it can coil and furl around us. O’Keeffe’s organic contours become music’s inviting and serene layering of rounded, comforting folds and sounds.
Another aspect primarily noticed about this painting is its colors. Layers of red and orange gradate within waves of blue and green. Yet, as the eye is lead through the composition, one becomes aware of multiple other colors blending in and out of the forms. All of the colors blend into another color at some point within the piece, yet they still retain their individual identities. This subtle distinction is enough to separate forms from becoming an amorphous mass, while still maintaining unity. What is intended by this blending?
By utilizing a flow between patterns of color with various tones and values, O’Keeffe establishes melody. The hues vary and contrast; yet they also merge to create a harmony. Her darks and lights emphasize the pitch and timbre of musical sounds. At the same time she uses the warm and cool colors to accentuate the emotions and sensations that music is inspired from.
Together, both the colors and forms in the composition unify into a single expression. From this, it is possible to speculate the significance O’Keeffe assigns to music, and the features she admires in it. Clearly she enjoys the smoothness of well-composed, harmonic music. The artist also seems to exhibit some affection towards the depth of emotional variety available in music. Finally, Georgia O’Keeffe demonstrates affinity for the natural purity of music as an art form.
As a whole, the piece is quite alluring and pleasant, regardless of whether the comparison to music is known or not. Still, the allusion to music in a visual sense is intriguing and compels the viewer to explore and theorize about the abstract concept. By its appearance, one would surmise that painting this composition should not have been too difficult. However, the amazing feat was the conception and planning that it must have entailed. After all, not many attempt to create a painting with an invisible subject matter.