Series near abiquiu, New Mexico - Hills to the left 

Georgia O’Keeffe made this painting of the New Mexico landscape, likely in the middle of the twentieth century, using oil on canvas. O’Keeffe is celebrated for her modern, abstract depictions of natural forms, and this landscape is no exception. Her paintings were produced and displayed in a time in which the gendered stereotypes of women’s art were being challenged. She navigated the male-dominated art world through asserting independence and control over her public image. Consider how O’Keeffe presented the landscape using visual codes of simplicity, with the bare minimum of forms and lines, that may have been read as a challenge to the complex and overtly masculine art of the traditional academy. As historians, we examine this work not only for its aesthetic qualities but also for its role in broader cultural dialogues. Archival materials, such as letters and exhibition reviews, offer a deeper understanding of O'Keeffe's artistic decisions and how her work was received.