Cottonwood III 1944

This landscape was painted by Georgia O'Keeffe, showing the muted greens and yellows of cottonwood trees under a pale blue New Mexico sky. I love how she paints the sky almost as a flat plane. It's so interesting, the way she simplifies the natural world into these shapes, all stacked on top of each other. I can imagine her standing there, squinting in the sun, trying to capture the feel of that desert light. When I look at those trees, I see how the paint is applied with soft, blended strokes. It's not about detail, but more about evoking a mood. It looks as if she’s layering the colors and letting them breathe. The black twisting branches in the foreground, they're like a signature, so graphic and bold. You know, she was part of a big conversation, influenced by artists like Arthur Dove, all pushing the boundaries of representation. These artists are still inspiring painters today. The way O’Keeffe embraced the stark beauty of the American landscape really opened up new ways of seeing and expressing the world.