Georgia O'Keeffe repeatedly painted animal bones in her 1930s New Mexico works.
After traveling in New Mexico, O'Keeffe began collecting bones and other objects from the desert. She used cattle skulls, pelvic bones, and other remains as subjects, placing them against bright skies or stark landscapes.
These paintings were not scientific illustrations. O'Keeffe enlarged, simplified, and repositioned the bones so that their curves and openings became powerful abstract forms. Works such as Ram's Head, White Hollyhock-Hills and Pelvis Series explored the relationship between natural objects, space, and the landscape.
The bones are often associated with New Mexico, but O'Keeffe also painted flowers, shells, buildings, and clouds. Her bone paintings therefore form one important group within a much broader body of work.