Home>

Georgia O'Keeffe

>

Two Calla Lilies on Pink, 1928

About the Artwork

Georgia O'Keeffe once remarked, "What is my experience of the flower if not color?" This large-scale image of two calla lilies, made of broad, sweeping waves of subtly blended hues, is an extraordinary example of her floral paintings. The white petals, highlighted in green and penetrated by two bright yellow pistils, reach upward against a pink backdrop, set off by the dark green stems on the bottom left. The artist's abstracted floral studies from the 1920s and 1930s have strong sexual overtones, although she denied that this was her intention. O'Keeffe, who was familiar with the photographs of Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Paul Strand, and Charles Sheeler, was intrigued by the aesthetics of photography and adopted the compositional device of isolating certain details and magnifying close-up angles, an approach she applied to her abstracted, expressive paintings. In 1929, shortly after completing Two Calla Lilies on Pink, she began spending her summers painting in New Mexico, and in 1949 she moved permanently to the former Native American village of Abiquiu, near Santa Fe, where she pursued her fascination with the striking forms of the natural world. Emily Hage, from Masterpieces from the Philadelphia Museum of Art: Impressionism and Modern Art (2007), p. 212.

Related Images

About Our Products

Quality


This Art on Demand Store is your exclusive source for reproductions authorized and available for purchase directly from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. All items that are offered are produced using gallery quality materials and the color is managed in a manner that produces a reproduction as true to the original as technology will allow.

Selection


Many of the works offered through this store are exclusive and not available anywhere else. In addition, new works are continually added to the offering so make sure to come back and see the new releases.

Customization


You have found the work that speaks to you. Now what? Using our innovative custom framing tool you can preview exactly what your finished and framed art will look like. We offer many different moulding styles so there is sure to be a match for any type of decor.

Member Discounts

As always, members will receive their discount for all transactions processed through our Art on Demand Store. Simply enter your member id during the checkout process and your discount will be applied.