When O’Keeffe began her cityscapes, Stieglitz cautioned her against what he considered a man’s topic. They stood in stark contrast to O’Keeffe’s sinuous abstractions and flowers, and represented a bold challenge to her male contemporaries and critics. The series served as inspiration for Joan Mitchell’s rebellious cityscapes from the early 1950s – among others – which similarly revolt against the stereotypical hyper-masculinity of Abstract Expressionism.

Georgia O’Keeffe Calla Lilies on Red 1928 Oil on canvas 32 ⅛ by 17 ⅛ inches Estimate $8/12 million

Between 1918 and 1932, Georgia O’Keeffe created more than 200 flower paintings. But it was arguably in the calla lily that the artist found her ideal motif, one that provided the perfect synthesis of subject and form that now defines her most celebrated work.

O’Keeffe painted Calla Lilies on Red in 1928. She would ultimately depict the calla lily eight times in this period, both in oil and pastel, revisiting the blossom on each occasion with a new viewpoint or altered perspective. In the present work, she emphasizes the verticality of the flower’s delicate form by presenting an elongated picture plane with its sensuous petals at center. She utilizes vibrant hues of red and green, which contrast dramatically the white flower, to imbue the canvas with energy and vitality, and emphasizes the simple elegance of the flower’s curves by reducing extraneous details.

AMERICAN ART 16 November 2018
Georgia O’Keeffe Cottonwood Tree in Spring 1943 Oil on canvas 30 by 36 inches Estimate $1.5/2.5 million

O’Keeffe started to visit New Mexico regularly in 1929 when, in an effort to escape city life, she left New York to spend the summer there. While the stark simplicity and expansiveness of the desert landscape always strongly appealed to O’Keeffe’s artistic sensibilities, this particular trip proved transformative for her both personally and artistically.

Works such as Cottonwood Tree in Spring reveal the profound inspiration O’Keeffe gleaned from the American Southwest. The sublime beauty of the landscape provided a free range for her imagination, and she would continue to investigate its imagery for the remainder of her life, returning almost every summer until 1949 when she made Abiquiu her permanent home. While the artist had always utilized the natural world as the basis for her unique visual language, in New Mexico her art gained an even deeper intimacy and, in works such as Cottonwood Tree in Spring, it transcends a literal study of nature to evoke the spiritual connection she felt with her adopted home.

ABOUT THE GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM
To inspire all current and future generations, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum preserves, presents and advances the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe and modernism through innovative public engagement, education, and research. Opened in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1997, the Museum counts O’Keeffe’s two New Mexico homes as part of its extended collection. The Museum’s collections, exhibitions, research center, publications and educational programs contribute to scholarly discourse and serve a diverse audience. For more information please visit okeeffemuseum.org.