acked a middle distance: Objects appeared either very near or very far in the desert air. This is a total contrast from her views of enlarged flowers.The pioneers of American abstraction responded to modern European movements in individual ways. Georgia O'Keeffe approached her subjects, whether buildings or flowers, landscapes or bones, by intuitively magnifying their shapes and simplifying their details to underscore their essential beauty. Her painting of Black Cross, is a large, dark cross which seems to stand watch over the rolling hills at sunset, proclaiming man's presence in this stark landscape.In Grey Hill Forms, Georgia O'Keeffe begins with the traditionally painterly ideals. Strong diagonal lines of recession draw the eye through the scene to create a smoothly three dimensional space. The yellow and green colors blend into deeper indigos and grays. The dramatic contrasts in light and tone aid in the formation of space without causing too much motion in the scene. The strong lines throughout give the images more conceptual meaning. The mountains are tangible and solid, clearly separated from both the ground and the deep blue sky. The light dramatizes both the depth and clarity in the painting.Georgia O'Keeffe is more concerned with the essential identity of things rather than the mere visual appearance. Suspicious of intellectual approaches to art, she was an introspective and independent visionary who thrived on isolation. O'Keeffe's original American works encompass a wide vision from taut city towers to desertscapes in such vivid hues and startled the senses. Throughout history she has made contributions to the history of American art and as Americans we will be forever thankful....
