Art Pieces: Georgia O’Keeffe’s Fishhook from Hawaii-No. 1 and Frederic Remington’s Rattlesnake

American artists Frederic Remington and Georgia O’Keeffe are both contributors of appreciated are. O’Keeffe’s “Fishhook from Hawaii-No. 1” was done in 1939. Remington’s “The Rattlesnake” was sculpted in 1908. Although a viewer could conclude that there are no comparisons at first glance, there are. The two pieces of art do contrast drastically, however. As the two works of art are compared and contrasted, the following areas of evaluation will demonstrate how similar and different they are.

To begin, lets explain the comparisons. American artists composed both art pieces in the 1900’s, thirty-one years apart. Also, consider the element of motion. A viewer can imply that both artists wanted to emphasize movement in their works of art. “Rattlesnake” has strong diagonal lines, with the left arm and leg of the cowboy running parallel to the horse’s hind leg. The horse has both front legs raised and the cowboy is leaned forward trying to hold on, with his slanted back running continuous with the backside of the horse. The cowboy is also holding on to his hat, creating the feeling that it was about to fly off with the quick motion of the horse. One could conclude that the horse has been startled by the rattlesnake and is beginning to run away from it, in a hurry. O’Keeffe’s piece also implies movement. The wire from the fishing lure is circled multiple times, almost giving the illusion of making a binocular lens, drawing you close to the sky and sea. You can also see the windblown effect of the lure and there is use of diagonal lines within the lure. In addition, a viewer must move close to each work of art in order to see all aspects. For example, the rattlesnake of Remington’s sculptor is very small in proportion to the horse and cow...

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...ement. A viewer could conclude by observing “Rattlesnake” that the texture is rough. The ground texture matches the texture of the cowboy’s chaps. There are few smooth areas on the sculptor. When the viewer looks at “Fishhook from Hawaii-No. 1,” they could imply a sense of smoothness and continuity with the water.

To recapitulate, Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Fishhook from Hawaii-No. 1” and Frederic Remington’s “Rattlesnake” are both interpretational art pieces. Similarities, such as the implication of movement and American artists composing both, do exist. The fact that one is two-dimensional while the other is three-dimensional, the medium and the materials used, the color, and the subject matter demonstrates that there are also differences between the two pieces of work.

Works Cited

O’Keeffe, Georgia. Fishhook from Hawaii – No. 1. Oil on Canvas. Reynolda House, NC.