Bare Tree Trunks with Snow 1946

Georgia O'Keeffe made this painting, Bare Tree Trunks with Snow, with oil paints on what looks like a pretty smooth surface. You know, when I look at this painting, I feel like she was right there in the snow, squinting a little perhaps, head tilted, figuring out exactly how to make those tree trunks come alive with the light. Those gray and black forms are almost like a puzzle, each stroke of paint carefully placed. I can imagine O'Keeffe thinking about Marsden Hartley who also painted trees, but in a very different way. She finds something totally unique in her mark-making. And those muted blues, grays, and whites – they just sing a quiet, wintery song. The brushwork is subtle, almost caressing the canvas. Look at how the paint softly blends, especially where the trunks meet the snow. It’s like she's captured the very essence of a cold, still day. Painting is all about these intimate, slow-motion conversations across decades, isn’t it?