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Road – Mesa with Mist by Georgia O'Keeffe

Road – Mesa with Mist

Georgia O'Keeffe · 1961

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“Stop to appreciate how Georgia O'Keeffe captures a fleeting moment of mist enveloping a New Mexico mesa, transforming a familiar road into an atmospheric, almost abstract, landscape.”

ABOUT THIS WORK

A soft, gray mist tumbles down a mesa in this painting, obscuring the road below and demonstrating a fascination with changing weather effects. While many of O'Keeffe's works present a striking clarity of perception, here she captures a cloudy moment, seen from her home and studio in Abiquiú, New Mexico. The bedroom of her home overlooked the main road connecting Abiquiú with Española and Santa Fe, and her eye was drawn to its wide sweep up the mesa. This oil on canvas from 1961 invites viewers to consider the subtle shifts in atmosphere and light that transform a familiar landscape into something ethereal and transient. The muted palette emphasizes the quiet drama of the fog, allowing the viewer to feel immersed in the cool, damp air.

DETAILS
Artist
Georgia O'Keeffe
Date
1961
Medium
Oil on canvas
Location
Art Institute of Chicago
Dimensions
41.3 × 30.8 cm (16 1/4 × 12 1/8 in.)
Collection
Arts of the Americas
Culture
Abiquiu
Credit line
Bequest of Paul and Gabriella Rosenbaum
LOOK CLOSER

What to Notice

Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

Road – Mesa with Mist
01

The soft, diffused light of the misty morning.

02

The way the road curves, almost disappearing into the fog.

03

The subtle variations of gray and blue in the mesa.

04

The intimate scale of the painting, drawing you into the scene.

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THE ARTIST

Georgia O'Keeffe

1887–1986 · United States

Georgia 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.

Read O'Keeffe’s full story
MORE FROM THIS ARTIST

Further Works by O'Keeffe

1 / 2
Black Iris Black Iris 1926 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Blue and Green Music Blue and Green Music 1919 · Art Institute of Chicago The Shelton with Sunspots, N.Y. The Shelton with Sunspots, N.Y. 1926 · Art Institute of Chicago Ballet Skirt or Electric Light (from the White Rose Motif) Ballet Skirt or Electric Light (from the White Rose Motif) 1927 · Art Institute of Chicago Black Cross, New Mexico Black Cross, New Mexico 1929 · Art Institute of Chicago Cow's Skull with Calico Roses Cow's Skull with Calico Roses 1931 · Art Institute of Chicago Red and Pink Rocks and Teeth Red and Pink Rocks and Teeth 1938 · Art Institute of Chicago Peru – Machu Picchu, Morning Light Peru – Machu Picchu, Morning Light 1957 · Art Institute of Chicago
KEEP EXPLORING

More works to explore

Beyond O'Keeffe: works from the same years.

Greyed Rainbow Same era · 1940s–1970s Greyed Rainbow Jackson Pollock · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago Sun Spot Same era · 1940s–1970s Sun Spot Yayoi Kusama · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago Essai Same era · 1940s–1970s Essai Sam Francis · 1963 · Art Institute of Chicago Impregnazione Same era · 1940s–1970s Impregnazione Piero Manzoni · 1958 La grande bellezza Same era · 1940s–1970s La grande bellezza Pierre Alechinsky · 1965 Alka Seltzer Same era · 1940s–1970s Alka Seltzer Roy Lichtenstein · 1966 · Art Institute of Chicago Captain Joseph Medill Patterson Same era · 1940s–1970s Captain Joseph Medill Patterson Ivan Puni · 1962 · Art Institute of Chicago Woman at the Piano Same era · 1940s–1970s Woman at the Piano Philip Evergood · 1955 · Smithsonian American Art Museum
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