What name did Georgia O'Keeffe give to the dark cliffs she painted near Abiquiú, New Mexico?

Georgia O'Keeffe called the dark cliffs she painted near Abiquiú, New Mexico, the Black Place. The name referred to a rugged landscape of dark rock and shadow that she repeatedly visited and painted.

O'Keeffe discovered the site during her years in New Mexico and described it as a place she had to return to. She often worked from memory as well as direct observation, simplifying the cliffs into broad, strongly structured compositions rather than recording every geological detail.

The Black Place was distinct from Ghost Ranch, whose red and ocher formations supplied another important group of subjects. Both locations were near Abiquiú, which can lead to the mistaken assumption that every New Mexico landscape in her work depicts the same site.

Her New Mexico paintings are recognized for their close attention to shape, scale, and light. By giving a remote location a memorable personal name, O'Keeffe also emphasized the intimate relationship between her working practice and the places she repeatedly explored.