Jimson Weed 2 

Georgia O'Keeffe created this painting of a jimson weed flower sometime in the 20th century. O’Keeffe's flower paintings are often seen in the context of early 20th-century American modernism, a time when artists were grappling with how to represent the modern world. This was a time of significant shifts in American society, including changing gender roles. Looking at the imagery, one can see the monumental scale of the flower filling the canvas. It abstracts the natural form to the point where it takes on a kind of iconic presence. O'Keeffe was working within a largely male-dominated art world, and her choice to focus on flowers, and the way she depicted them, can be interpreted as a commentary on the traditional association of flowers with femininity. The exaggerated scale and sensuous forms challenged viewers to reconsider those associations. By consulting feminist art historical scholarship and biographical studies of the artist, we can find deeper insights into the social and cultural context that shaped O'Keeffe's artistic vision.