Purple Leaves 1922

Georgia O'Keeffe made *Purple Leaves* with oil paint, but we don't know exactly when. Look how the shapes have been built up so smoothly! It's like she's caressing the canvas with each stroke. I can almost feel the texture of the leaves, soft and velvety, yet with a definite structure. I can imagine O’Keeffe stepping back, squinting, then diving back in, coaxing the colors to do what she wanted. The way she’s handled the paint, not too thick, not too thin, it's like she's breathing life into them. It makes me wonder if she saw the leaves as more than just, well, leaves? Maybe for her they symbolized something about growth, or about the cycle of life. It’s almost like she's whispering to us, inviting us to see the world through her eyes. We’re all just part of this big conversation, riffing off each other, trying to figure things out, you know?