My Shanty, Lake George 1922

Georgia O'Keeffe painted 'My Shanty, Lake George' with oil on canvas, and I can imagine her process being one of quiet observation, where the scene slowly reveals itself through the brushstrokes. There’s something so solid and still about this painting, a kind of humble monumentality, even. I wonder if O’Keeffe was thinking about the relationship between architecture and landscape. The brown, earthy hues of the shanty contrast with the soft greens and blues of the surrounding nature, but they also complement each other, like a secret conversation. It's a dialogue of form and color, not so different from the work of someone like Agnes Martin, who also sought a sense of peace. The square window—it’s like a little portal. It reminds me that we can find beauty and meaning in the simplest of forms. Ultimately, art is about looking, seeing, and feeling, and I think O’Keeffe reminds us of this.