The West, in contrast

Washington art patrons who wish to catch a glimpse of life on the other side of the country should visit the Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams exhibit “Natural Affinities.” It is the first major exhibition to compare the work of O’Keeffe and Adams. The exhibit is currently on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum until Jan. 4.

Looking through the exhibit, one can’t help but notice the intense differences between Adams and O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe’s art, which she expressed in the form of paintings, was idealistic and imaginative, with sweeping bright colors. Adams chose to portray his creativity through black and white photography of the Western wilderness.

According to the Smithsonian, the museum chose to show the art at dueling sides of the room, intertwining in a central location through the central nave. The exhibit shows 42 of O’Keeffe’s paintings and 54 of Adams’s photographs. Observing each painting, I couldn’t help but notice the extreme differences the artists took in capturing the same parts of nature.

The Smithsonian mentioned that when people walk through the exhibit, many feel like they are experiencing the “opposites attract” phenomenon. Adams and O’Keeffe saw the world from two completely different eyes. Yet oddly enough, when you walk through the exhibit, you feel like the two belong together.

O’Keeffe and Adams met in New Mexico in 1929 at the home of a mutual friend, and the two became instant friends. Adams was in New Mexico taking photographs for his new book and O’Keeffe summered in New Mexico before making it her home year-round in 1949.

The art was littered with quotes from both artists next to their works. A quote from Adams reads: “A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels in the deepest sense.”

My favorite work in the exhibit was a photo of a thunderstorm in the Espanola Valley, 1961, by Adams. Growing up on the East Coast my entire life, it was breathtaking to observe a desert thunderstorm that Adams had captured in its most intense state.

Programs involving the exhibit include a discussion of Adams’s photography techniques by William Wylie, associate professor of photography at the University of Virginia on Oct. 23 at 5:30 p.m.

There will also be a gallery talk by Eleanor Jones Harvey, chief curator at the museum, on Oct. 29 at 5:30 p.m. A screening of the movie “Ansel Adams: A Documentary Film” will be held Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m.

Finally, there will be an appearance on Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. by artist Matthew Coolidge. Coolidge, who is from the Center for Land Use Interpretation, will discuss the center’s recent projects that creatively interpret the American landscape.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is located at 8th and F Streets NW, just above the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Station on the Red Line. Admission is free. Museum hours are 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, except on Christmas Day. For more information on the O’Keeffe and Adams exhibit, and other upcoming events at the Smithsonian, visit www.americanart.si.edu or call 202-633-5285.