“Stop to experience the raw power of nature in Georgia O'Keeffe's "A Storm." This pastel painting dramatically captures a lightning strike over water, blending natural observation with abstract suggestion.”
A jagged bolt of lightning slices across a dark, turbulent sky in this pastel painting, illuminating a vast expanse of water below. The storm's raw power is palpable, captured through the dramatic contrast of light and shadow. O'Keeffe uses pastel on paper here, a medium that allows for a soft, almost ethereal quality, even amidst such a forceful natural event. The moon's reflection shimmers on the water, a quiet counterpoint to the dramatic flash in the sky. This piece, created in 1922, is part of a series of landscapes depicting the sea and lakes, reflecting O'Keeffe's exploration of natural forms and her move towards abstraction during this period. The composition, with its central vertical element and sweeping horizontal forms, subtly evokes a sense of the feminine, a recurring theme in her work.
- Artist
- Georgia O'Keeffe
- Date
- 1922
- Medium
- Pastel on paper, mounted on illustration board
- Location
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Dimensions
- 18 1/2 × 24 1/2 in. (47 × 62.2 cm)
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Credit line
- Anonymous Gift, 1981
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
The bright, almost white lightning bolt against the deep blues and purples of the storm.
The subtle, pale reflection of the full moon on the water's surface.
The way the pastel medium creates soft, blended transitions in the sky and water.
The dark, undulating shapes of the land or waves at the bottom of the composition.
Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through A Storm — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
Georgia O'Keeffe
1887–1986 · United StatesGeorgia O'Keeffe, the 'Mother of American modernism,' transformed natural forms into powerful abstractions, from magnified flowers to the stark beauty of the New Mexico desert.
Further Works by O'Keeffe
Black Iris
1926 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Blue and Green Music
1919 · Art Institute of Chicago
Morning Glory with Black
1926 · Cleveland Museum of Art
The Shelton with Sunspots, N.Y.
1926 · Art Institute of Chicago
Ballet Skirt or Electric Light (from the White Rose Motif)
1927 · Art Institute of Chicago
White Pansy
1927 · Cleveland Museum of Art
Black Cross, New Mexico
1929 · Art Institute of Chicago
White Flower
1929 · Cleveland Museum of Art
More works to explore
Beyond O'Keeffe: works from the same years.
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Lozenge Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, Red, and Gray
Piet Mondrian · 1921 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Interior with painter
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1921 · Buchheim Museum of Imagination
Same era · 1900s–1930s
The Lineman
Ivan Puni · 1927 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
American Gothic
Okada Saburosuke · 1930 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Bull's Head
Mikhail Larionov · 1913 · Tretyakov Gallery
Same era · 1900s–1930s
The Firmament Above the Temple
Paul Klee · 1922 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1900s–1930s
The Fiddler
Norman Rockwell · 1921 · Brandywine Museum of Art
Same era · 1900s–1930s
The Praying Jew
Marc Chagall · 1923 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Woman before an Aquarium
Henri Matisse · 1921 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Dada Gauguin
Max Ernst · 1920 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Man and Trees, Florida
John Singer Sargent · 1917 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1900s–1930s
Seated Woman, Back View
Egon Schiele · 1917 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art