Georgia O'Keefe was an influential American artist in the 1920s who challenged conventions by abstracting subjects she painted from life. She examined common natural objects like flowers from unusual perspectives and compositions, simplifying forms while using the entire composition space. This allowed her works to be both realistic paintings and abstract representations, as she carefully depicted shadows, surfaces, and tonal shifts despite manipulating scale and perspective.

1. Georgia
O’Keefe
Abstraction through
Observation
Georgia O’Keefe, Jimson Weed 1936

2. Georgia O’Keefe is an
important figure in
American art from the
1920s.
She challenged many
artistic conventions of
her time by
abstracting subjects
she painted from life.
Georgia O’Keefe, Abstraction 1919

3. O’Keefe worked
using strong
shifts in value
and clean,
smooth
surfaces.
Georgia O’Keefe, Blue and Green Music
1921

4. Georgia O’Keefe, Grey Lines with
Black, Yellow and Blue 1923

5. By examining
common, often
natural objects
from interesting
perspectives and
using unusual
compositions she
both painted from
life and abstracted
her subjects.
Georgia O’Keefe, Dark Abstraction
1924

6. Georgia O’Keefe, Corn
Dark 1924

7. In this piece she both
simplifies the form and
presents a view from
below.
She carefully uses the
entire composition space
to create interest and
abstraction.
Georgia O’Keefe, City Night 1926

8. Georgia O’Keefe, Morning Glory with Black No. 3
1926

9. Georgia O’Keefe, Abstraction White Rose 1927

10. Georgia O’Keefe, Black Iris 1926

11. Georgia O’Keefe, Shell and Old Shingle No. I 1927

12. Georgia O’Keefe, Shell and
Shingle No. III 1926

13. Georgia O’Keefe, Shell and Shingle No. IV
1927

14. Georgia O’Keefe, Shell and Old
Shingle No. II 1926

15. Georgia O’Keefe, Brown and Tan Leaves
1928

16. Georgia O’Keefe, Calla Lily on Grey
1928

17. Georgia O’Keefe, The White Flower 1932

18. Georgia O’Keefe, Jimson Weed 1932

19. Georgia O’Keefe, Grey Hills II 1936
Notice how similar this painting is to her close-up flower
paintings. The lines and the shadows of the hills in this
painting relate to the lines and shadows in her previous
paintings. This is accomplished by allowing the landscape
to use the page in the same way that the flowers do.

20. Georgia O’Keefe, My Red Hills 1938

21. Georgia O’Keefe, Pelvis Bone IV
1943

22. This composition
makes this pelvis
bone seem
otherworldly and
abstract, but notice
how well observed
the shadows and
surfaces are.
Georgia O’Keefe, Pelvis Bone II
1944

23. Georgia O’Keefe, Pelvis with Shadows and the Moon 1943
This pelvis also feels abstract, but the attention to tonal shifts in the
shadows is key-- this is a well observed still life!

24. Georgia O’Keefe, Red Hills and Sky
1945

25. Georgia O’Keefe, Pelvis with Distance 1943

26. Georgia O’Keefe, Patio with Black Door
1955

27. Abstraction Through Observation: In
Class Assignment
For the next two classes you will work on S an
accurate drawing from life that manages to
abstract the subject through composition, scale,
and perspective.
You may pick an object I provide, or find
something in nature outside of the classroom.
Using your white or grey paper, you will spend
this class and Thursday working on this drawing
in the medium of your choice.
Although we are abstracting these objects we
are only doing so through composition and
perspective-- the drawing should be an
accurate representation of the portion of the
object you choose to draw.