Georgia O'Keeffe's 1926 close-up painting of a dark flower with radiating petals is Black Iris.
The work enlarges a flower so dramatically that its natural form approaches abstraction. O'Keeffe became known for presenting flowers at a scale that encouraged viewers to study their folds, edges, and tonal transitions rather than treating them as small decorative objects.
Black Iris is frequently discussed in connection with interpretations of floral imagery and sexuality. O'Keeffe rejected the idea that her flowers should be reduced to symbolic readings imposed by others, emphasizing instead that viewers should look carefully at the forms themselves.
The title is also sometimes expanded in references to Black Iris III, another work from the same subject group. That is why naming the specific 1926 painting as Black Iris is important when distinguishing it from related iris paintings.