What 1935 painting by Georgia O’Keeffe shows a ram’s skull above a New Mexico landscape?

Georgia O’Keeffe’s 1935 painting of a ram’s skull above a New Mexico landscape is Ram’s Head, White Hollyhock-Hills.

The composition combines a ram’s skull, white hollyhocks, and distant pale hills. O’Keeffe made the painting during the period when New Mexico had become a central source of her imagery. She often arranged bones and flowers against broad, simplified backgrounds to emphasize their shapes.

The work is not simply a literal record of a particular view. O’Keeffe enlarged and isolated objects, giving them a monumental presence. Her New Mexico paintings frequently merge observation with abstraction, which is why they can appear both recognizable and dreamlike.

Cow’s Skull with Calico Roses is a frequent mix-up because it also features a skull and flowers. The key difference is the animal: Ram’s Head uses a ram’s skull, while the other painting uses a cow’s skull.