When enrolled inclasses at the Art Students’ League in New York City, she ran, terrified, out of a figuredrawing class where stood a male nude model. In all her years, Georgia surroundedherself with ineffectual males who were frequently homosexual. Perhaps she liked thembecause they posed no threat to her. On the other hand, she adored her femalecounterparts, having friendships with some and sexual relationships with others. She waseven known to sit in a shed at the Stieglitz summer home in Lake George, NY, and paintnaked for hours. Sometimes her young niece would make art at her side, and it isuncertain whether there were romantic relations between them. It was clear thatGeorgia’s unusual upbringing led to an unusual lifestyle, in any case. Ida seemed to want a somewhat normal life for her children, and insisted they bebrought up Protestant, but the only private school in the area was Catholic. TheO’Keeffes could only afford to send one child at a time, and rotated public and privateeducation yearly. Georgia had many memories of being taught by strict and severe nuns. She received art instruction beginning in her youth and thus began a legacy of creativegenius. O’Keeffe’s first interaction with the masters like Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, andothers was by copying famous works. This practice was widely used and encouraged inart schools all over the world. Then she met a teacher who instructed her in the DowMethod. “Instead of copying the works of others, [it] advocated that students produceoriginal artwork from the beginning of their instruction.(Hogrefe 25).” Alon Bementtaught Georgia most of the concepts she would ever use or apply in her artwork. Thiswas the summer of 1912 at the University of Virginia. After this, Georgia took up a teaching position in Amarillo, Texas, an area shefound to be paradisiacal. She was an excellent teacher, well- liked, and always kept herstuden...
