TEACHERS COLLEGE

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

NEW YORK

DEPARTMENT OF FINE ARTS

ARTHUR WESLEY DOW, PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR

ALON BEMENT, Assistant Professor, Painting and Illustration

LAMONT A. WARNER, Assistant Professor, House Decoration and Household Arts

GRACE A. CORNELL, Assistant Professor, Art Structure and Design

SALLIE B. TANNAHILL, Art Structure and Design

JULIA HILL ATWELL, Art Structure and Design

EDWARD J. THATCHER, Design in Industrial Arts

CHARLES H. MEEKER, Design in Household and Industrial Arts

RUTH WILMOT, Costume Design

CLAGGETT WILSON, Costume Design and Illustration

CHARLES B. UPJOHN, Clay Modelling, Pottery and Sculpture

CHARLES J. MARTIN, Drawing and Painting

OTTO V. HUMANN, Drawing and Painting

CLARENCE H. WHITE, Art Photography

VOJTECH PREISSIG, Color Printing

ETHELWYN C. BRADISH, Methods and Practice Teaching

LUCIA W. DEMENT, Art Director, Horace Mann Schools

BELLE BOAS, Art Instructor, Horace Mann Schools

GRACE V. BLISS, Secretary of the Department

February 10, 1916

Miss Georgia O'Keefe
Columbia College
Columbia, S. C.

My dear Miss O'Keefe:

I have written Mr. Cousins this morning as strong a letter as I dared. I have told him your experience, something of your ancestry, and made him suggestions; I hope that it will prove efficacious. I did not find it necessary to stretch the truth in making this recommendation. I am very glad for you that Mr. Stigletz thought so well of your things, but having been your father confessor for so long a time I want to sound to you a note of warning.

The war, as you understand, put an end to the Futurist and Cubist movements as such. The good that was in them will go on, but the faults and pretentious things are things of the past and I want you as a teacher not to fall over backwards. Do just what you feel like doing, but do not do it because it is new or because it is old. Have just as much respect for conservatism as you have for anything that is radical. In order to be a great artist you must like a great number of things; in order to be even a good teacher you must understand and appreciate every school. I am not saying this because I think you are lacking in appreciation now, but I would not like to see you turning up at the end of five years with a onesided viewpoint. Apropos of this good advice I can only cite you one example: Henri Mattisse has frankly admitted that his work for the past five years was for the most part a joke, and has sent to New York four studies in a very serious mood that are a complete return to his early methods. Of course Mattisse is no criterion, but that is the way the wind is blowing now. There are some various disappointed people in New York City this winter at the trend of modern artistic thought. Keep your eyes open and your ear very close to the ground.

Very sincerely yours,