Calla Lilies
June 26, 2009
Georgia O'Keeffe's Calla Lilies, 1923
I admire Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings. She certainly captures the minimalist elegance and grace of white calla lilies. They have to be one of the most classically feminine flowers. I love the simple sweeping curves of the calla lily’s elongated petals.
“The modest Rose puts forth a
thorn,
The humble sheep a threat’ning
horn;
While the Lily white shall in love
delight,
Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her
beauty bright.”
— William Blake
Calla Lily silhouette
Calla Lily
Calla Lily
June 26, 2009 at 2:52 pm
These photos would be beautiful in black and white, or sepia, too, especially the bottom, closest up one, Rosemary.
There is a wonderful exhibit up at SFMOMA through Sept. 7, 2009, “Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams: Natural Affinities.” O’Keeffe and Adams were lifelong friends, introduced through Stieglitz, and the shared sensibility of their paintings and photographs is quite striking. It may be the last stop for this show, but it’s well worth seeing for anyone planning a visit to the Bay Area in the next few months. There are also two other great photography shows there: Robert Frank’s “The Americans,” through Aug. 23, and “Richard Avedon: Photographs 1946-2004,” July 11 – Nov. 29. All these shows are well worth seeing!