area 404: Georgia O'Keefe at the Phillips Collection

On this rainy, wet day in DC, I decided to head over to the Phillips Gallery (on 21st and Q street) to check out the Georgia O’Keefe exhibit. I’ve always felt as if the Phillips was one of the most underrated art galleries in DC. In all actuality, this gallery hosts a wealth of famous paintings in their permanent collection, and their ‘traveling’ exhibitions are always spectacular. ‘Georgia O’keefe’s Abstracts” is a must see for all art enthusiasts.

Some of her famous pieces can be spotted there – like Jack-in-the Pulpit No.IV, and Pattern of Leaves. Seeing photos of Jack-in-the-Pulpit really doesn’t do it justice. Georgia O’Keefe’s use of color is unmatched. I’ve always appreciated her seamless use of bold, vibrant colors. I was also quite surprised by a host of paintings I had never seen from the artist, including ‘White Sweet Peas” and “Yellow Sweet Peas” (see photo below).

After viewing the Georgia O’keefe exhibit, I decided to tour the rest of the gallery, as I hadn’t been there since college (for the Honore Daumier exhibit). The Phillips Collection’s building is really quite charming. The older half of the gallery is actually a renovated mansion. Much of the architectural integrity has been preserved. Who knew the quaint row homes in Dupont Circle occupied so much square-footage!

When tourist head to the Phillips Collection, they usually make a b-line to Renoir’s famous ‘Luncheon of the Boating Party’. While this painting is amazing to see in person, there were a couple additional works that caught my eye. First was Manet’s “Spanish Ballet”. The details on the ballerina’s stockings was incredible. I’m also now a fan of an artist I never heard of before – Raoul Dufy. While his paintings are quite crude and rough in technique, I do enjoy his composition and color.

I must say it was so creatively refreshing to tour the Phillips Collection again. I’ll have to make the trek up to Dupont Circle more often (for art, and not cupcakes – darn you Red Velvet!).