Black Iris is Georgia O'Keeffe's 1926 painting named for the dark center of an iris.
The painting magnifies an iris so dramatically that the flower nearly fills the composition. O'Keeffe used close-up views of flowers to focus attention on shape, color, folds, and tonal transitions rather than on the complete plant or its botanical setting.
Black Iris is often discussed in relation to interpretations that read sexual symbolism into O'Keeffe's flower paintings. She rejected the idea that critics could explain her work simply through gendered or psychological interpretations, emphasizing instead the visual experience of looking closely at natural forms.
The title is sometimes confused with names of other iris paintings by O'Keeffe. Black Iris is the specific 1926 work associated with this subject and title.