Blue-03 1916

Georgia O’Keeffe made this watercolor, Blue-03, on paper. Though undated, it likely comes from the period when O’Keeffe was working in New York under the patronage of her future husband, the photographer and art dealer, Alfred Stieglitz. As she began exhibiting her work, O’Keeffe sought a visual language that could express a modern, and specifically feminine, sensibility. Her strategy was to use abstraction. Forms in this image are suggestive but remain elusive, as though alluding to something beyond direct representation. The question of interpretation became fraught, however, as critics debated whether O’Keeffe’s images were veiled representations of female anatomy. Her association with Stieglitz also made her subject to the institutional dynamics of the New York art world. Examining O'Keeffe's correspondence and the critical reception of her work provides further insights into the cultural context surrounding her art. By considering these sources, we gain a deeper understanding of how her work was seen by the institutions of her time.