NONFICTION - Feb. 2, 1992

GEORGIA O’KEEFFE: The New York Years, edited by Doris Bry and Nicholas Callaway with an essay by Bram Dijkstra (Alfred A. Knopf/Callaway: $100) . Nearly as seductive as the myth of Georgia O’Keeffe, who is revered as a modernist giant, soul mate of nature and (unwilling) feminist icon, this ravishing picture book deals with O’Keeffe’s early years, from 1913 to 1932. New York might seem confining--and in fact it was for an artist who found herself in New Mexico’s limitless spaces--but the period encompasses far more than paintings of skyscrapers. Ninety-one color plates reproduce organic abstractions, voluptuous flowers, chunky barns and, yes, those glorious views of Gotham’s Shelton Hotel and the American Radiator building.

An essay by Bram Dijkstra backs up the visual pleasure with historical background and thoughtful analysis. Convinced that idolatry has obscured her aesthetic contributions, he sets out to prove that O’Keeffe’s significance “lies in her superb ability to synthesize the creative currents in the art and culture of the earlier years of this century.” Dijkstra concludes that “O’Keeffe succeeded in reaching millions, because her art speaks to us of basic human values and because it celebrates the sensuous pleasure of the material world. Above all, her art is a love affair with sheer being.”