Black Cross, New Mexico

A stark black cross dominates this canvas, rising monumentally to meet the top edge of the frame. It stands flat against the picture plane, its rough, handmade texture a striking contrast to the luminous, ethereal sky behind it. The cross is a Catholic symbol, a common sight in the American Southwest that Georgia O'Keeffe visited in 1929. She recalled that for her, "painting the crosses was a way of painting the country." This work captures the vastness of the New Mexico landscape, with rolling hills fading into the distance under a brilliant sunset. The painting helped solidify the artist's deep connection to the region, which would become her permanent home years later. The Art Institute of Chicago acquired this painting in 1943, the same year it hosted O'Keeffe's first major museum retrospective.