Which art educator influenced Georgia O'Keeffe's move toward abstraction in 1914?

Arthur Wesley Dow influenced Georgia O'Keeffe's move toward abstraction in 1914.

O'Keeffe encountered Dow's ideas while studying at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she took a class based on his teaching. Dow emphasized composition, line, and the expressive organization of forms rather than simply copying visible reality.

That approach helped O'Keeffe reconsider the academic methods she had previously learned. She began making abstract charcoal drawings in 1915, reducing forms and exploring rhythm, movement, and feeling through line and shape.

Dow was not the only influence on her career, and O'Keeffe did not remain a follower of any teacher. Her mature style developed through experimentation. The key distinction is that Dow's teaching offered a conceptual opening toward abstraction, while O'Keeffe transformed those principles into a highly personal visual language.