What kind of natural subject is enlarged in Georgia O'Keeffe's 1926 painting Black Iris?

Georgia O'Keeffe's 1926 painting Black Iris enlarges an iris flower.

The oil painting presents a dark iris in a close, cropped view. O'Keeffe repeatedly used flowers as subjects, magnifying their forms so that petals, folds, and color relationships filled the composition. This approach made a familiar natural object appear almost abstract.

Black Iris is frequently discussed in connection with O'Keeffe’s flower paintings, but interpretations of those works have varied. Some critics and viewers have read sexual symbolism into the enlarged forms. O'Keeffe rejected the idea that her flowers should be reduced to such interpretations and emphasized that people should really look at flowers.

The painting should not be confused with O'Keeffe’s many works featuring poppies, lilies, or sunflowers. Its title identifies the flower as an iris, and the 1926 work is especially known for its nearly black, violet, and pale forms.