I recently enjoyed this joint exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and thought I would briefly discuss it for extra credit. I had only read brief mentions of the exhibit, and stumbled into the museum not expecting much as I had been there several months ago to see Recognize! and, of course, Colbert. In truth, I was only trying to pass the time before a dinner reservation, but I'm so glad I stopped in.
What I was expecting of the exhibit was stark contrast, as I envision O'Keeffe's art as colorful, airy, and light, while greyscale, powerful, and large-scale speak to Adams' work.
Entering the exhibit, it seemed that my expectations were affirmed. The signature style of O'Keeffe's paintings jumped out at me, but Adams' work was quieter. The longer I spent in the exhibit, the more their works complemented each other beautifully, just as the museum intended. Their interpretations of Southwest-style architecture, and examinations of small objects in nature became more and more alike the longer I looked at them.
This exhibit was highly successful in comparing and contrasting the work of two iconic American artists, two friends really. Their examination of the Southwest is particularly striking, and really shows that no matter how different two things may look at first glance, the longer you look, the more alike they become. This is true in the exhibit in terms of O'Keeffe vs. Adams, painting vs. photograph, color vs. greyscale, and dreamlike vs. real.
Finally, I found that this exhibit really proved to me how important placement, environment, and a work's surroundings are in personal interpretation of the work. I interpreted Ansel Adams' photographs much differently than I did when I saw them at the Corcoran with Annie Leibovitz's works a few months earlier.
