Pansy 1926

This is Georgia O'Keeffe's Pansy, painted with oil on canvas. There's an incredible subtlety in the way she's handled the brush, and it's a dance between representation and something more abstract, more felt. I bet she had the flower right there in front of her, staring, thinking—how can I capture this? What's the essence, the feeling of this flower? The blues and blacks feel like a moody sky, a night garden. And look how the paint seems to glow from within, especially in the center. I see O'Keeffe, brush in hand, layering color upon color, coaxing out the light. It's almost a conversation, paint answering her, guiding the way. Like Agnes Martin said, the goal isn't to be expressive but receptive. It's not just a pansy; it's O'Keeffe seeing.