No. 5 Special 1915

Georgia O'Keeffe made this drawing, No. 5 Special, and it’s pure O’Keeffe, right? It’s like she's feeling her way through the image, letting the charcoal lead her. The grays in this piece, wow, they're not just flat tones. See how some areas are smudged, almost velvety, while others have these sharp, distinct lines? Look at the upper area, that sort of looming ‘arch’ – it feels almost architectural. The way she layers the charcoal, building up depth and shadow, gives the image a real tactile quality. The piece kind of reminds me of the gestural abstraction of someone like Dorothea Rockburne, but Rockburne uses more angular and geometric shapes. What I love about O'Keeffe is she leaves space for your own interpretation, that ambiguity is so inviting.