Georgia O'Keeffe famously enlarged animal bones in paintings such as Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue.
After moving frequently through the New Mexico landscape, O'Keeffe collected bones and other natural forms found in the desert. She placed them against broad fields of color or open sky, making small objects appear monumental.
Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue was painted in 1931. The work combines a weathered cow skull with the colors of the United States flag, but it is not simply a conventional patriotic illustration. The skull also reflects O'Keeffe's fascination with endurance, landscape, and the visual character of desert remains.
Her bone paintings are sometimes incorrectly grouped with her flower paintings as if both were intended primarily as symbols. O'Keeffe repeatedly resisted fixed symbolic readings and emphasized her interest in seeing familiar forms closely and freshly.