Carr, O'Keeffe, Kahlo

This original and thought-provoking book compares the art, lives, and achievements of three great artists of the Americas: Emily Carr (1871-1945) of Canada, Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) of the United States, and Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) of Mexico. Each became her country's preeminent woman painter in the twentieth century, and all explored similar issues in their painting. Sharyn Udall shows how each artist searched for an authentic, personal identity and analyzes in detail the issues these women faced in relation to nationality, nature, gender, and the creation of a personal mythology. Although their work is visually disparate, certain interesting themes connect Carr, O'Keeffe, and Kahlo. Udall draws on rich archives and uses specific works of art to illustrate the differences and similarities among the three. She demonstrates how a profound identification with nature led each artist to a lifelong exploration of its forms and symbolism. Further, each painter felt a special connectedness to the earth and to nature in her region. Udall also looks at the different ways each artist entwined her private -- and in all three cases, deeply spiritual -- self in her artistic identity and the unique ways each established a public identity. By viewing the work of Carr, O'Keeffe, and Kahlo collectively, Udall shows, we illuminate in new ways the art of a continent.