Art Analysis

Background

Georgia O'Keeffe's oil painting Blue and Green Music was created in 1919/21 in New York. O'Keeffe's inspiration for this painting stemmed from her desire to turn music into something that can be seen rather than heard. 


Artistic Elements

This painting uses techniques of light and shadow, line, and color to emphasize the translation of music to painting. In this work, blue and green work in harmony to create a visually pleasing piece. This is symbolic of voices or instruments working together to create beautiful sounds. Dark and light tones also come together to evoke a stimulating contrast. The flowing, wavy lines as opposed to straight, almost jagged lines work with each other almost like an orchestra, with violins playing a flowing melody and bass keeping a steady tempo. 

Personal Reflection

When I came across this peace, I knew right away that I wanted to analyze it. Often when looking at art, only a select few stand out to me (I like to say they speak to me). This one in particular made me feel similarly to the feelings evoked when I listen to classical music. The blues and greens feel calming, and the sections of wavy, straight, and flowing lines create a unique feeling for each part of the painting. I feel that the different parts of the piece seem as though they would not work together, but actually do. 

I would love to own this piece of art. I keep going back to look at it, wondering how O'Keeffe decided on each color or line. It is incredibly beautiful, and new lines and colors keep appearing the longer I look at it. It evokes emotions in me such as serenity and clarity. 

Bibliography

Art Institute of Chicago, "Light and shadow," in Smarthistory, February 7, 2018, accessed June 5, 2023, https://smarthistory.org/light-and-shadow/.

 Dr. Asa Simon Mittman, "Line." Smarthistory, June 23, 2019, https://smarthistory.org/line/. Accessed 05 June, 2023.

Dr. Asa Simon Mittman, "Color," in Smarthistory, June 24, 2019, accessed June 5, 2023, https://smarthistory.org/color/.

O’Keeffe, Georgia. “Blue and Green Music.” The Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of the Americas, www.artic.edu/artworks/24306/blue-and-green-music. Accessed 05 June 2023.

Comments

  1. LesasfineartJune 7, 2023 at 12:25 PM

    This piece is amazing. I have two daughters who are Music Performance Majors, and I can see how as a music lover, "Blue and Green Music" would speak to your soul. Your analysis was very good.

    I noticed the black lines between each pattern, giving the form a break or pause. It reminds me of the pause in each movement of a symphony. My daughters had to explain how it is a faux pas to clap in-between movements.

    ReplyDelete
  2. TempleJune 7, 2023 at 2:12 PM

    I'd have never given this painting a second look on my own. It's just not representative of that which I am naturally interesting in; outdoor activities, simple utilities, etc.

    But your description of it put the painting in a new light. It brought to mind a piece of music I heard on the Disney movie Fantasia, where the music and the animated abstract and less than abstract shapes come together to give you an a baffling yet wonderful audio/visual experience. I'll link a YouTube video.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Img7Xn57c0

    After reading what you wrote about the painting I can see and hear a cello for the steady shapes, and hear and see a bow being furiously raked across a violin for the quicker waves down to the left, while maybe some wind bridges the gap as the slower waves in the upper half. Damn, maybe I do appreciate art.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KJune 7, 2023 at 9:10 PM

    I've always viewed all forms of art as different means of accomplishing the same goal. They all seek to take what is in someone's mind and move it into someone else's mind. Generally, the things being communicated are difficult to express in words and that's why the artistic medium is being used. This painting and your analysis of it speak to that use of art, and it shows how the same emotions transferred in a song can also be transferred through a canvas.

    ReplyDelete
  4. DMcCain7June 8, 2023 at 9:50 PM

    I feel like its a scene in a Sam Raimi horror film where all hell breaks loose after a seance. Like everybody is running around panicking, we open the door and are staring down a staircase into a spirit world.

    ReplyDelete

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