What subject fills the composition of Georgia O'Keeffe's 1932 painting Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1?

A white jimson weed flower fills the composition of Georgia O'Keeffe's 1932 painting Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1.

The painting presents a close-up view of a single white jimson weed blossom. O'Keeffe enlarged the flower so dramatically that its trumpet-like petals spread across the canvas, making the natural form appear monumental rather than small and familiar.

Jimson weed is also known as Datura, a plant with large flowers and toxic parts. O'Keeffe frequently used flowers as subjects, but her paintings were not intended simply to identify species. She explored shape, color, scale, and the act of looking closely.

The work is sometimes grouped with O'Keeffe's paintings of poppies, irises, or lilies because all use enlarged floral forms. Its specific subject is different: Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 shows a white jimson weed blossom. The painting is now associated with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art after its 2014 auction purchase.